06C crash...both alive.

[RockbrigadePC1]

Small plane crashes onto expressway

By Tonya Maxwell and Josh Noel
Tribune staff reporters
Published February 19, 2006, 2:43 PM CST

A flight instructor and his student crash-landed on Elgin O'Hare Expressway Sunday afternoon when their plane lost engine power shortly after takeoff from the Shaumburg Airport, state police said.

The Piper plane flipped over as it landed on the expressway, near Irving Park Road, said Master Sgt. Ted Vernon of the Illinois State Police. The instructor, about age 62, was taken to St. Alexis Medical Center with head wounds. His student, about 18 years old, walked away uninjured, Vernon said.

Vernon did not know the severity of the instructor's injuries.

Shortly after taking off from Shaumburg Airport, the plane began having engine trouble, Vernon said, and the men tried to fly back to the airport. But the engines lost power, he said, forcing them to land in eastbound lanes of the Elgin O'Hare Expressway about 12:40 p.m.

No motorists were hit, but it appeared the plane clipped a pole or tree and flipped over, he said. Westbound lanes of the expressway remained open, but police closed down eastbound lanes from Lake Street to Irving Park Road.

Local authorities have alerted the Federal Aviation Administration. Messages left with the FAA were not immediately returned Sunday, but a recorded message said the agency was investigating the accident.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/...49.story?coll=chi-news-hed&ctrack=1&cset=true

 

[flyboyzz1]

I work with the CFI. He is doing OK.

 

[Salukipilot4590]

Good to hear that everyone is ok!

Hope the CFI recovers quickly!!

 

[FN FAL]

http://imgsrv.wbbm780.com/image/DbGraphic/200602/218018.jpg

Looks like the plane got banged up pretty good, I'm surprised they made out as well as they did.

HANOVER PARK, Ill. (WBBM/AP/STNG) -- Authorities say a small plane that crashed Sunday afternoon on an expressway in suburban Chicago was trying to make an emergency landing.

Illinois State Police Master Sergeant Ted Vernon says no serious injuries were reported, and the plane didn't hit any vehicles on the highway.

Witnesses tell WBBM Newsradio 780 that one or more drivers on the expressway stopped their cars right after the crash happened, and rescued the instructor from the plane.

The single-engine plane crashed onto the Elgin-O'Hare Expressway less than a mile from the Schaumburg Regional Airport.

On board were 63-year-old John Vafhko, of Bloomingdale, and 18- year-old Kenneth Mattuck Jr., of Palatine.

Vafhko, a flight instructor, was taken to an area hospital with a head wound and was listed in fair condition. Mattuck, a flight student, walked away from the plane without serious injuries.

The crash occurred at around 12:30 p.m. Sunday near Hanover Park, according to a Hanover Park police dispatcher.

The single-engine plane, identification number N43280, crashed on the eastbound pavement in the Hanover Park area, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

The flight instructor and student had just taken off from Schaumburg Airport when they experienced engine trouble, according to Vernon.

The pilot attempted to return to the airport but lost engine power completely before they could land, Vernon said. They decided to glide to a landing on the Elgin-O'Hare Expy. when they clipped a lightpole, causing the airplane to flip over and crash onto the roadway, he said.

The eastbound lanes of the Elgin-O'Hare were closed for about two hours. The westbound lanes were not closed.

 

[DX Rick]

I know the CFI and he's a good guy. Too bad I cant say the same for the owner of the flight school , who tried pinning the crash on the CFI for having no fuel onboard.
Flight school owner is a liar, and a cheap bastard, skipping out on mx. I quit flying his planes because when I wanted to rent one and go IFR, half the equipment was inop, he said "You're just scared" Thats his typical responce, next too. "You need to learn"

 

[bobs98tlr]

Well Rick i guess we all knew it was a matter of time for this crap to happen....To bad it had to be this way. I know John myself and i dont know one person that has one bad word to say about him...super nice guy and can talk about airplanes all day long. I hope he know how many of us are thinking about him. He stops in at RFD with his C320 for fuel all the time. I got my PPL in this very same aircraft, this was before i knew how the place was run and i quit flying the guys airplanes....I go to DPA now, as well as my flying club.

 

[Metro752]

Yeah I heard that the MX on the plane that crashed was 4$h1t

 

[Metro752]

On NBC and ABC local news in Chicago, the flight school owner is very adiment about there being no fuel on the plane when it took off.

 

[FN FAL]

On NBC and ABC local news in Chicago, the flight school owner is very adiment about there being no fuel on the plane when it took off.

Don't you mean "Atom Ant". I used to watch that cartoon right after "Lance Link Secret Chimp".

 

[JohnE]

I know the CFI and he's a good guy. Too bad I cant say the same for the owner of the flight school , who tried pinning the crash on the CFI for having no fuel onboard.
Flight school owner is a liar, and a cheap bastard, skipping out on mx. I quit flying his planes because when I wanted to rent one and go IFR, half the equipment was inop, he said "You're just scared" Thats his typical responce, next too. "You need to learn"

Maintenance was horrible on the travelairs... Maybe different now though, haven't flown there in quite a while. I got the flier in the mail recently for the "free" vhf transceiver if you become a member.