Pilot Injured After Weekend Plane Crash In McHenry Co.

MCHENRY COUNTY, IL — A 42-year-old Fox Lake man sustained injuries that are not considered life-threatening after a small plane crashed in unincorporated Greenwood Saturday morning. A 15-year-old passenger from Plainfield on board the plane at the time of the crash was checked by emergency medical staff at the scene but was not taken to the hospital. A preliminary investigation shows the small Air-Cam plane went down at about 10:36 a.m. Saturday shortly after taking off from Galt Airport, located at 5112 Greenwood Road, according to a news release from the McHenry County Sheriff's Office.

The collision occurred during Galt Airport's Barnstormer’s Day 2018 Fly-in and Drive-in, which is an annual at the airport that includes a fly-in, pancake breakfast and displays of vintage aircraft. Authorities said it's not clear why the plane crashed.

Travis Patenaude, of Crystal Lake, told the Northwest Herald he'd been at the event taking the pictures and was in the parking area when the crash happened.

“From what I heard, the plane had lifted off and either the wind caught it or it tried to bank and hit some bushes along the side of the runway and started to cartwheel,” he said. “It’s supposed to be a nice event with all the old-style planes and things. I was taking pictures at end of runway all morning, and when I went to switch lenses, that is when the plane crashed.”

The pilot, a 42-year-old Fox Lake man, was taken by Flight for Life to Advocate Condell Hospital in Libertyville with injuries that are not considered life-threatening.

The crash is being investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Galt Airport is a small, private airport north of Wonder Lake that has hangars available for pilots to rent.

Photo caption: Galt Airport/Photo credit: GoogleMaps