Pilot identified in small plane crash with toddler onboard in DeKalb County, Illinois
The pilot killed after a single-engine plane crashed into a farm field near an airport in Hinckley, Illinois, has been identified.
The DeKalb County Coroner's Office identified the victim as 51-year-old James A. Beyer of Maple Park, Illinois.
Hinckley Fire Protection District officials said the crash happened shortly after 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, just west of Hinckley Airfield, about 50 miles west of Chicago.
DeKalb County Sheriff's officials said a single-engine 1946 Aeronca 7AC crashed into a farm field near the airport. Deputies attempted to perform CPR on the pilot, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
A 3-year-old boy, also from Maple Park, was onboard the plane. He was taken to Northwestern Medicine Kishwaukee Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and was later transferred to Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago, where his condition was stabilized.
The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the cause of the crash.
The sheriff's office said investigators were on the scene on Monday to perform initial assessments and will facilitate the removal of the aircraft from the farm field when they deem it appropriate.
