BARTLETT, Ill. (AP) - The National Transportation Safety Board says the cabin area was largely destroyed when a small airplane crashed in a forest preserve outside Chicago, killing its pilot.
The NTSB says in a preliminary report released Thursday that the engine and propeller separated from the airframe in the crash near the suburb of Bartlett. It says the pilot had reported a rudder control problem to air traffic controllers but he “declined any assistance, and stated that he just needed to work on it bit.”
The DuPage County coroner’s office has said 61-year-old Michael Sandman of Bloomingdale was the only person aboard the Cessna 172 when it crashed Friday. It says he died of multiple traumatic injuries.
The plane was registered to the Fox Flying Club, which is based at the DuPage Airport.
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