The plane took off on a test flight from Aurora Municipal Arport, and went down moments later in a nearby cornfield in Big Rock Township, according to the Kane County Sheriff's Office. The pilot died at the scene.
Investigators identified the pilot as John Morrison, 73, of Aurora, and describe him as an experienced pilot with a long history of flying experimental aircraft.
"As his wife described it, this was his passion. He loved doing it," said Lt. Pat Gengler Kane County Sheriff's Department.
Morrison called a control tower to return to land after he took off, but the plane crashed before it could get back. The plane clipped some power lines when it crashed, knocking out electricity to the area.
A spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration says the plane was an E-Racer. FAA records state that Morrison built the plane himself.
