Bloomington plane crash victims remembered at ISU vigil
BLOOMINGTON, Ill. (WLS) -- A vigil was held at Illinois State University on Wednesday evening to remember the seven victims of a deadly plane crash in Bloomington, Ill. Two were members of the school's athletic department.
"Tonight is a night of grieving, but it's also a night of caring, a night of sharing, a night of a lot of hugs, but also a night of resilience for a close ISU family," said Illinois State University President Larry Dietz.
The tragic crash hit especially hard on the university's athletes. Aaron Leetch was the department's deputy director. Torrey Ward coached the men's basketball team.
"These guys are just father figures to us," said John Jones, a senior forward on the men's basketball team. "Coach Ward, me and him had a personal relationship not only on the court, but off the court."
Five others - Scott Bittner, Terry Stralow, Andrew Butler, Jason Jones and pilot Thomas Hileman - were also killed in the crash, which occurred early Tuesday morning. Some of their families were also in attendance.
"Going home is different now, Dad is not there. And for the wives, their husbands aren't there. Grandpas aren't. One of them was a Grandpa. It's devastating," said Steve Danielson, who attended the vigil.
The plane crashed as the men were heading back from the NCAA Men's Championship game in Indianapolis. It happened just east of Bloomington, Illinois. Questions still remain about whether the pilot missed the approach.
Throughout the day, people visited the ISU campus to add to a growing memorial for the victims.
PHOTOS: 7 killed in Bloomington plane crash
NTSB officials said the investigation could take months to complete. Investigators are focusing on what led the Cessna 414 twin-engine aircraft to make a turn as it approached Central Illinois Regional Airport in Bloomington around midnight Tuesday. The plane had been cleared for landing, NTSB investigator Todd Fox said. Investigators are looking into whether the pilot missed the approach.
"Neither frequency communications that we were able to review up to this point had any distress call from the pilot, no indication from the pilot that there was anything wrong with the aircraft," Fox said.
The wreckage was found around 3 a.m. Tuesday in a field about a mile from the airport. All seven victims, who were found strapped in their seats, died from blunt force trauma resulting from the crash, said Coroner Kathleen Davis.
