21-04-2025
Here's what to know about the April 19 plane crash that killed four Wisconsin residents
Four Wisconsin residents died on April 19 when a small plane crashed in Illinois.
The small plane had left a Nashville airport and crashed into a field in Trilla, Illinois, close to a nearby airport, officials said. The crash killed two men and two women, all from Menomonie, after the aircraft struck power lines.
Federal authorities said they were investigating the accident and expected a preliminary report to be available in about a month.
Here's what to know about the crash.
The Coles County Coroner identified those who were inside the plane as Ross Nelson, 46, Raimi Rundle, 45, Courtney Morrow, 36, and Michael Morrow, 48. All four were from Menomonie, Wisconsin.
Nelson was the owner of the plane, according to Federal Aviation Administration records
The airplane struck powerlines and crashed in a field in Trilla, not far from the Coles County Memorial Airport, the National Transportation Safety Board said. The crash occurred around 10:16 a.m., the agency said.
The NTSB said an investigator was conducting an on-scene examination and collecting evidence and data related to the crash. The aircraft will be recovered and taken to a secured facility for further evaluation.
NTSB investigations focus on the pilot, the operating environment and the aircraft. A preliminary report will be available in 30 days. It can be found in the NTSB investigations database with the number ERA25FA179.
That report is expected to be available within 12 to 24 months.
The plane departed from Nashville's John C. Tune Airport, according to the Coles County coroner's office. That airport opened in 1986 and is designed for smaller general aviation purposes.
The plane was a Cessna C180G. The plane seats up to five passengers and one pilot, according to PlanePHD, an airplane information website.
Cessna started in 1927 and remains one of the "most known private aircraft brands in the world," according to the company's website.
More: Here's how many 'near midair collisions' have occurred at Milwaukee's two airports
The April 19 plane crash is the latest crash in a number of notable aviation accidents in 2025.
In January, an American Airplanes commercial plane and a military Black Hawk helicopter crashed into each other in Washington D.C., killing 67. That was the first major commercial crash in 15 years, but other smaller crashes have occurred and drawn headlines in the months since.
So far this year, there have been 295 aviation accidents, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. Of those, 57 have been fatal accidents. Historical data from the agency shows the accident rate was steadily dipping between 2012 and 2021/
David Clarey is a public safety reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He can be reached at dclarey@
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: What to know about the plane crashed that killed four from Wisconsin
