Pilot, student survive LaSalle Co. plane crash

SHERIDAN, Ill. (WLS) -- A single-engine plane carrying two people crashed into a rural LaSalle County bean field on Friday afternoon.

The plane, which was carrying a pilot and a student, crashed near County Line Road and Illinois Route 71 in Sheridan at 3:29 p.m., LaSalle County officials said. Both people were hospitalized, but survived.

"A single-engine aircraft was coming in to Cushing Field and apparently came in a bit low and became entangled in the power lines on the west side of Route 71. The power lines then pulled the aircraft down into the ditch," said LaSalle County Sheriff Tom Templeton.

Low cloud cover was reported at the time, but it's not known what caused the crash.

The downed power lines resulted in power outages for 1,400 people in the area on Friday, Ameren officials said, but power has now been restored.

A YouTube video posted in 2012 shows a plane with the same tail number leaving Cushing Field. On that day, it landed safely. The person who posted the YouTube video said that at the time he posted it, that plane could be rented out. When he rented that plane, he said he didn't have any information about who may have been in it on Friday.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating.