UPDATE: Pilot of South Beloit plane crash says his family is 'recovering well'
Updated August 17, 2018, 6:30 p.m.
UPDATE: SOUTH BELOIT, Ill. (WIFR) -- A south Beloit family's lives changed unexpectedly last weekend when their plane crashed into a cornfield.
"People have passions, different passions, mine is to fly,” said Brian Erickson.
For 30 years Brian Erickson flew planes without a hitch. But on Sunday, as he began a trip to the Wisconsin Dells with his wife and their foreign exchange student, something went terribly wrong.
“Upon rotation, or lifting off, we had an equipment failure which resulted in loss of flight,” said Erickson.
In a blink of an eye, Erickson says the plane crashed into a cornfield.
“I looked to Noon to make sure she was okay and she had injuries on the top of her head and my wife was pinned in the back of the plane so my first response was to call 911 to get help,” said Erickson.
“Anytime you hear of a plane crash it's probably a miracle that anyone survives that,” said Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Jason Newell.
The Winnebago County Sheriff's Office along with several other agencies responded to the crash. Investigators say it can be tough getting to the plane depending on where it lands.
“It was in a farm field you know about a mile from the road so anytime you got that it's like well what road is it? In the end we got to it and got them the help that they needed and got them to the hospital where they all survived,” said Newell.
Erickson says he can't thank the first responders enough. Although it was a scary experience, he says it won't keep him from flying.
“That’s why we do the job, to hope every incident we go to similar to this is the result that they recover fully,” said Newell.
“Obviously the outcome could have been totally different and I'm just very relieved that the outcome was like it was,” said Erickson.
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Updated August 16, 2018, 2:45 p.m.
UPDATE: SOUTH BELOIT, Ill. (WIFR) -- The three passengers of a Sunday plane crash are identified.
62-year-old Brian Erickson says he was the pilot in the crash that happened about 8:30 a.m. just south of the Beloit airport. He owns Erikson Auto Parts and Services in South Beloit.
Erikson says his 60-year-old wife Kathy was the other passenger. He said she took the brunt of the impact. Erikson says his wife is home from the hospital.
Erikson also says their 15-year-old foreign exchange student Nopparat "Noon" Chiangtong was also a passenger on the plane. He says she is recovering well and is proud of her resilience.
Erikson commends responders for their actions after the Aug. 12 crash.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is leading the investigation.
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Updated: August 12, 2018. 3:50 p.m.
UPDATE:SOUTH BELOIT, Ill. (WIFR) -- The Winnebago County Sheriff's Office says the three people on board the airplane were a man, a woman and juvenile girl.
Authorities say the pilot and the juvenile girl were taken to an area hospital and were treated and released. The woman passenger is being treated at a hospital for non-life threatening injuries.
The investigation is being conducted by the NTSB and the FAA.
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SOUTH BELOIT, Ill. (WIFR) -- Three people were taken to area hospitals after a plane crashed just south of the Beloit airport around 8:30 Sunday morning.
The Winnebago County Sheriff's Office says a small plane carrying two adults and one juvenile crashed in a cornfield in the area of Manchester Road east of Gardner Road.
The plane was found several hundred yards south of the runway of the Beloit Airport. The sheriff's office says the private plane, a Piper Lance Airplane, took off from the Beloit Airport heading to the Wisconsin Dells area.
One person was airlifted to a hospital while the others were taken by ambulance. Investigators say they are unaware of the seriousness of the passenger's injuries at this time.
The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating.
We will continue to provide updates as we learn more.
