Weekend Pleasure Flight Turns Grim

A single-engine plane crashed near the Sandwich, IL airport Saturday afternoon, claiming the lives of both occupants. Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board were soon on the scene examining the wreckage.

The plane crashed into a cornfield just short of the runway at the Woodlake Landing Airport (IS65) just before 2 pm, narrowly missing a residential area. It was unclear whether the Ercoupe (file photo of type shown above) was taking off or landing when it crashed, but witnesses reported seeing it coming in from the west not long before the accident.

Chicago's WLS-7 reported the deceased were identified as pilot Randall Hougham, 53, and Lauren Hamilton, 22. Hougham was described as a family friend of Hamilton, who reportedly was in town for the Easter holiday.

The aircraft was identified as a 1946 Ercoupe 415C, which according to FAA records was registered to Hougham.

Nearby resident Tim Simmons saw the smoke from the crash. "This time of year farmers do a lot of control burns. So, I thought maybe it was something that got away, and I sent the kids over to see what it was, and they said a plane had crashed."

"When we first noticed that we saw it was still on fire, the emergency crews had just arrived at the scene, and they were able to extinguish it pretty quickly," said witness Dan Purdue.

NTSB investigator Jim Silliman said, "We were able to look at the aircraft on site, and get a wreckage description, and do a preliminary check of the flight controls on the airplane, and also looked at the engine." The remains of the aircraft were removed from the crash site and taken to the airport for further study expected to begin on Monday.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov