Indiana State Police say the pilot of a light plane which crashed in Warren County Saturday night is dead. The pilot was the sole occupant of the plane which crashed in a rural area south of West Lebanon. The victim has been identified as 68-year-old George P. Irick, Jr. of Congerville, Illinois.
The Vermilion County Illinois Sheriff’s Department had notified Warren County Sheriff’s Police about a possible downed plane around 10:30 Saturday night (January 27, 2018), according to Indiana State Police. Troopers, deputies, West Lebanon firefighters and other volunteers searched for the plane for six hours Saturday night and early Sunday in rugged terrain.
The search was suspended, but then resumed early Sunday. It was about twenty minutes after it resumed when an Indiana State Police helicopter located the wreckage.
The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board have been notified and will be investigating the crash.
The search involved dozens of emergency personnel and volunteers from Warren, Fountain and Vermillion counties. Major Jim Griggs, Vice Commander of the Civil Air Patrol in Illinois, says the CAP had committed eight search teams and two aircraft to assist. [The photo is of one of the ground search teams from the Civil Air Patrol in Lansing, Illinois. The team was in West Lebanon, Indiana Sunday morning to assist.]
Major Griggs told VermilionCountyFirst.com News that ‘’it’s unfortunate that sometimes search efforts end up shifting to recovery efforts.’’
The Warren County Sheriff’s Department and West Lebanon Fire Department were assisted by Warren County EMS, the American Red Cross, Warren County Coroner and Civil Air Patrol. [Note: You can click on the photos to enlarge them.]
