WHEELING, Ill. — A small cargo jet crashed into a forest preserve Tuesday afternoon shortly after being cleared to land at a suburban Chicago airport, with officials saying it appeared the two people aboard were killed.
Glenview Fire Department Battalion Chief Jim Fancher said a preliminary investigation indicated that a pilot and co-pilot were aboard the jet that crashed into the Des Plaines River in unincorportaed Glenview as it was making its final approach at about 1:30 p.m. to Chicago Executive Airport in nearby Wheeling. He said emergency crews were on the scene, including divers.
The Federal Aviation Administration, on the scene of the crumpled wreckage, said it was unclear what caused the crash, noting that the jet had just been cleared for visual approach to the airport.
The Learjet Model 35 left Oakland County International Airport in Waterford, Mich., about 1 p.m. Tuesday, said J. David Vanderveen, who oversees the county’s three airports. Oakland County International Airport is about 25 miles northwest of Detroit.
Vanderveen said the jet was empty of cargo but was to pick up freight at the Wheeling airport, about 15 miles northwest of Chicago.
The jet, according to the FAA, was registered to Waterford-based Royal Air Freight. A woman who answered the phone at the company declined to comment on the crash.
