The plane crashed in a cornfield. Firefighters extinguished flames around the wreckage.
An emergency dispatcher for the Ogle County Sheriff's Office confirmed crews began searching for a plane about 8 a.m. that may have lost contact with the communications tower at the Chicago-Rockford International Airport.
The pilot and only occupant of the plane was killed in the accident, FAA spokesman Elizabeth Cory said.The Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.
