A plane collided in a farm field approximately two miles south of the EAA AirVenture grounds on Monday afternoon, resulting in the deaths of two individuals.
Sean Tommervik, 37, of El Paso, Texas, and James Sullivan, 32, of Nashville, were identified as the victims by the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office on July 24.
The air traffic control tower at Wittman Regional Airport reported the accident to the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office in a news release at 12:15 p.m. on Monday, the first day of the 71st AirVenture event. The accident was reported to have occurred in the vicinity of Nekimi Avenue and Old Knapp Road.
Crews from the sheriff’s office, Oshkosh Fire Department, Nekimi Fire Department and First Responders, Van Dyne Fire Department, Wisconsin State Patrol, and members of the National Transportation Safety Board responded to the site, where they discovered the plane was completely engulfed in flames.
Dennis Klumpers, the agronomist of Brian Bradley, the proprietor of the field where the accident occurred, abruptly summoned him to dial 911 while he was at home.
Klumpers stated that he had recently completed a weed control and insect inspection of the field. He then walked away, heard a pop sound, and turned his shoulder to observe flames.
Klumpers stated, “It is not a common occurrence.” “I didn’t hear engine problems and it didn’t sound like they were trying to land in the fields.”
The crash, which transpired shortly before 1 p.m. local time, occurred on the inaugural day of the event, which features historic aircraft and aerobatic displays over the span of one week. According to the sheriff’s office, the accident was initially reported by air traffic controllers at the airport.
Two individuals were killed and two others were injured in the midair collision between a helicopter and a gyrocopter during the air display last year. The aircraft, a Rotorway 162F helicopter and an ELA 10 Eclipse gyrocopter, were not involved in the air display, despite the fact that the victims were attendees of the event.
Wittman Regional Airport is the destination of approximately 500,000 aviation enthusiasts and visitors each summer for the AirVenture exhibit. According to the E.A.A., aircraft enthusiasts travel from approximately 80 countries to observe over 10,000 aircraft, including vintage military planes, ultralights, and aircraft that have been constructed by amateurs. A daily complimentary newspaper is also distributed by the organization during the event.
