On Wednesday, September 11, 2024, a small plane crashed near Schaumburg Regional Airport in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. The event occurred around 11:00 a.m. Fortunately, it resulted in no serious injuries to the two onboard occupants.
The aircraft, identified as a four-seat Piper Cherokee 140, went down in a tree-lined ditch along Irving Park Road in unincorporated DuPage County near Roselle. According to the DuPage County Sheriff’s Office, the plane experienced distress during its descent and landed on Irving Park Road before veering into the ditch.
What Happened Just Before The Plane Crashed, And Who Was On Board?
The plane, registered to Lima 001 LLC in Muscatine, Iowa, was being used for a training flight. Both occupants — a flight instructor and a student — were safely evacuated by firefighters and declined medical attention. The aircraft belongs to a flight school operating out of Schaumburg Regional Airport. Flight records reveal that the plane had an eventful morning. It departed from Schaumburg at 9:00 a.m. before briefly landing in Janesville, Wisconsin, at 9:50 a.m. From there, it took off again from Janesville at 9:56 a.m.
The aircraft was due to arrive at Schaumburg Regional Airport at 10:46 a.m. Before the crash, the plane was observed circling Schaumburg Regional Airport multiple times. Eyewitness Jason Patfield, who works nearby, told CBS News, “I’m looking outside and I see this plane and I’m like, ‘This thing seems pretty low.'”
The Roselle Fire Department responded quickly. Now, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have initiated an investigation into the incident. The crash caused significant disruption to local traffic. Irving Park Road remained closed from Roselle Road to Rodenburg Road for several hours, reopening around 3:30 p.m.
Resident Dave Lien, whose property the plane nearly entered, expressed his surprise: “When you see a plane in your front yard, it’s a little disconcerting.”
Lien learned from first responders that the pilot’s decision to veer onto his property was deliberate, aimed at avoiding traffic on Irving Park Road. This incident stands out as unusual for the area. Lien, who has lived in his house for 41 years and regularly observes planes landing at the airport, stated that nothing remotely similar has ever happened before.
