Seven perish in private plane crash near Bloomington

Posted on April 21, 2015

Authorities near the scene of a plane crash east of Bloomington block roads leading to the crash site. (Terry James/WJBC)

By WJBC staff

BLOOMINGTON – Seven people returning from the NCAA Basketball Tournament in Indianapolis lost their lives early Tuesday in a plane crash east of Bloomington about two miles from Central Illinois Regional Airport.

Identification of those who perished was not released during a noon news conference, Officials said the names of the victims will be released after all family members have been contacted.Another news conference has been set for 5:30 p.m. at Central Illinois Regional Airport.

WJBC has confirmed the victims were Terry Stralow, Aaron Leetch, Torrey Ward, Jason Jones, Andy Butler, Scott Bittner and pilot Tom Heileman.

Stralow was the co-owner of Pub II in Normal, while Leetch was the deputy director of athletics for external affairs at ISU and Ward was the associate head coach for the men’s basketball program. Jones worked for Wells Fargo, while Butler was a regional representative for Sprint and Bittner owned Bittner’s Meat Locker in Eureka .

McLean County sheriff’s deputies and coroner’s office said the the crash occurred overnight in a field north of Illinois 9 about a mile east of Towanda Barnes Road east of Bloomington.

According to a news release from CIRA, at approximately 12:15 a.m. Peoria air traffic control notified Bloomington-Normal Airport Authority of an aircraft due back in CIRA that had failed to close its flight plan.

The plane, a twin engine C414A Cessna Chancellor, left Indianapolis a little after midnight EST.  The plane was owned by Bittner’s father, Terry.

Bloomington-Normal Airport Authority personnel responded to the airport to determine if the plane had landed at the airport and had not notified Peoria air traffic control. A thorough search inside the fence on airport  property determined that the aircraft was not on airport.

A search in the surrounding area uncovered a crashed aircraft was located in a farm field on the ground approximately one mile east and north pf the airport between 3 and 3:30 a.m. and the coroner’s office arrived at the scene at 4:15 a.m.

This story will be updated.

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