By Howard Packowitz
BLOOMINGTON – Federal investigators have issued a final report indicating several factors probably caused the plane crash 2 1/2-years ago that killed seven men near Central Illinois Regional Airport, including pilot fatigue and the pilot’s failure to control the airplane during a late-night landing in dense fog.
The National Transportation Safety Board also said there was too much weight in the back of the Cessna twin-engine craft.
A group of prominent local residents remembered as the Redbird 7 were killed in April 2015 while returning home from the men’s college basketball national championship game in Indianapolis.
People living in the area told investigators they woke up hearing an unusually loud and low-flying plane.
The NTSB said pilot Tom Hileman did not maintain control of the plane during its instrument approach, and the glideslope antenna cable was inadequately connected or secured.
Lack of glideslope guidance meant Hileman was not able to tell if the plane was descending at a proper angle.
The NTSB found no evidence Hileman suffered from cumulative or acute sleep loss, but the accident happened more than two hours after Hileman typically went to sleep, and he likely had been awake for 18-hours.
Hileman’s widow, Ami, filed a lawsuit in Cook County earlier this year, seeking financial damages from five companies for alleged negligence and breach of warranties. The suit claimed the plane’s left engine and turbo charger caused the accident.
The crash killed Hileman, Illinois State University Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach Torrey Ward, Assistant Athletic Director Aaron Leetch, Pub Two owner Terry Stralow, local businessmen Andy Butler, Scott Bittner, and Jason Jones. Jones, a Lincoln native, played college basketball at Illinois Wesleyan University.
Howard Packowitz can be reached at [email protected]
