A 69-year-old west suburban man was killed in a plane crash along with a teenage girl Sunday night in Wisconsin.
Someone called 911 to report a small plane flying over Peninsula State Park near Ephraim Airport in Door County, Wisconsin, after the plane disappeared from view and they heard a crash at 8:38 p.m., according to the Door County sheriff’s office.
Several different emergency agencies began a search.
At 9:55 p.m., a citizen on a bike trail in Peninsula Park found the wreckage of the plane, according to the sheriff’s office.
The pilot and owner of the plane, 69-year-old Ralph L. Keller of La Grange Park, and Sister Bay, Wisconsin, was killed , according to the sheriff’s office. His passenger, 16-year-old Olivia M. Dahl of Sister Bay, was also killed.
It appears Keller was making his approach to Ephraim Airport when something went wrong, according to the sheriff’s office.
Dahl was a flying enthusiast and was taking lessons in Green Bay to get her pilot’s license, according to the sheriff’s office. Keller was a volunteer pilot and took Dahl to her lesson in Green Bay.
The FAA has arrived at the scene Monday morning to begin an investigation. The NTSB is scheduled to arrive Tuesday.
