The National Transportation Safety Board has taken over the investigation into a plane crash that left a pilot dead near Galt Airport in unincorporated Wonder Lake Friday.
The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office, Wonder Lake Fire Protection District and Hebron-Alden-Greenwood Fire Protection District responded around 5:15 p.m. Friday to Galt Airport, 5112 Greenwood Road in unincorporated Wonder Lake.
The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office said they received a call for a single airplane crash near the airport.
The crash involved a model EA-300LC plane, the sheriff’s office said.
Firefighters at the scene reported the plane was approximately a quarter-mile east of the runway up against a tree.
The pilot, who was the sole occupant, was pronounced deceased at the scene, according to the sheriff’s office.
Firefighters and paramedics initially requested a LifeNet medical helicopter to the scene but later canceled it.
The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office said they contacted the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to continue the investigation.
The McHenry County Coroner’s Office was notified and requested to the scene. An autopsy is in the process of being scheduled.
A spokesperson for the NTSB told Lake and McHenry County Scanner that investigators were on site Saturday collecting information.
The crash occurred approximately a half-mile east of the airport in a wooded area, the spokesperson said.
Federal authorities removed the aircraft and transported it to an offsite facility for further analysis.
A preliminary report on the incident is expected in two to three weeks, the spokesperson said.
The pilot’s identity is being withheld pending notification to family members and the autopsy.