MATTOON, Ill. – Four Wisconsin people flying home from Kentucky were killed when their singe-single propeller plane fell from the sky, ripped through power lines, and cashed near a grain elevator in central Illinois. Pronounced dead at the scene:
> Ross Nelson, age 46, the pilot.
>Raimi Rundle, 45.
> Michael Morrow, 48.
> Courtney Morrow, 36.
All were from Menomonie in northwest Wisconsin. Tyey had flown from Menomonie on Wednesday for the 800-mile flight to Nashville, Tennessee. Three days later they were en route home when the crash occurred. That was at 10:15 a.m. They were still 490 miles from home when something went wrong. The cause of the crash was not determined mediately. The wreckage of the plane, a Cessna 170, was moved to a secure location for federal inspectors to examine.
Cessna 170 profile
High-wing Cessna 170s and variations, all called Skywagons, were manufactured between 1952 and 1981. In all, 6,200 were built. The capacity is four to six persons depending on the model and configuration. They cruise about 140 mph with a range of 1,000 miles. Skywagons are famous for a 1964 flight by Geraldine Mock. It was in a Skywagon that she became the first woman aviator to circumnavigate the globe.