Two On Board Injured In The Accident

A Sonex airplane with two people on board went down Wednesday near Fond du Lac County Airport. Both men on board sustained injuries from the accident.

The Fond du Lac Reporter indicates that the plane had taken off from the airport when it struck a power line and fell about 40 feet. An image published in the paper shows the plane down near a road at the edge of a cornfield.

Television station WITI reports that the 73-year-old pilot is from Neenah, WI. He was training the 60-year-old passenger from Dedham, MA to fly the aircraft. The passenger had recently purchased a kit from Sonex with the intention of building it himself, according to the report.

The Sheriff's office said that the plane experienced an engine failure after takeoff and was attempting to return to the airport when it struck the powerline and went down.

The pilot was taken to St. Agnes Hospital in Fond du Lac. The passenger was airlifted to TedaCar Regional Medical Center in Neenah, according to Fond du Lac County Sheriff's Capt. Rick Olig. Both were conscious after the accident and were able to answer questions. The passenger was listed in stable condition Thursday afternoon.

Sonex General Manager Mark Schaible told the paper that the pilot had been contracted by Sonex to provide transition training to the customer in an airplane owned by the company.

(Image from file. Not accident airplane)

FMI: www.ntsb.gov