One person killed in small plane crash in Bartlett

One person was killed when a small single-engine plane crashed in the Hawk Hollow Forest Preserve in DuPage County near suburban Bartlett Friday afternoon, officials say.

Federal Aviation Administration officials say the plane was a Cessna 172. Officials say only the pilot was on board the plane. The DuPage County Coroner's Office has been called to the scene.

The pilot, who was from Bloomingdale, has not been identified. The single-engine plane was registered to the Fox Flying Club in Wheaton, Ill., which flies out of DuPage Airport in West Chicago.

Officials have not said where the plane was headed but they say the pilot did radio air traffic control to say he was having trouble with his rudder.

The area where the plane went down is not far from homes, and neighbors heard the crash.

"I head the big, like a big boom but I thought it was a firecracker going off so I didn't think anything of it," said Cheri Raidy.

"We heard a big boom and my husband came running in, screaming, 'A plane crashed! A plane crashed in the forest preserve!'" says Kristie Notto. " And actually, this is just right behind our house."

The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash. The scene will be closed and guarded overnight, and the investigation will resume Saturday morning.