Small plane crashes in residential area in Illinois; unidentified pilot killed at the scene

On Friday night, one person was reported dead in a single engine plane in central Illinois; moments before, a group of skydivers would be seen jumping from the aircraft, a Beechcraft-18. It is believed that the victim was the pilot of the plane that slammed into a tree after dropping the skydivers.

According to the details provided by the Federal investigators and at least one witness, the twin-engine aircraft crashed in Taylorville city, close to the houses and was completely destroyed. As mentioned above, it is believed that the pilot of the unfortunate plane was the only person left on board who killed in the tragic accident.

Tony Molinaro, a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman said that a local area resident Gloria Johnson saw the entire act with her own eyes. She said the aircraft came down at a brisk speed, into her neighbour's back yard; the small plane ended up shattered after slamming into a tree, said Gloria.

The witness further conveyed that one of the (skydivers’ group) member was scene rushing to the scene, the moment he landed. Subsequently, the skydiver told the cops that he was among the eight people who had safely parachuted from the plane. Meanwhile, Gloria insisted that she saw no explosion or any fire upon impact.

Authorities thus believed the pilot may have dumped his fuel; perhaps, after he realized he was in trouble.