FAA: 2 dead in fiery plane crash at Ill. airport

[January 02, 2009]  JOLIET (AP) -- Two passengers died late Thursday when an airplane crashed at Joliet Regional Airport, a spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration said.

"We understand that an aircraft fatality did occur at Joliet, with two fatalities and an aircraft that burned," FAA spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory said.

Joliet Park District executive director Dominic Egizio says the crash occurred at about 9 p.m. under clear skies. The district operates the airport.

The plane was likely had two to four seats, he said.

Joliet police told The Herald-News newspaper of Joliet that the plane burst into flames as it was landing and that a man and woman, likely a couple, were killed. The Chicago Tribune reported the plane departed Buffalo Niagara International Airport.

Cory said her agency would participate in an investigation led by the National Transportation Safety Board. She said investigations typically take weeks.

[Associated Press]

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