Illinois State Assistant Coach Killed, Along With Six Others In Plane Crash

Courtesy WJBC Radio

Seven people returning from the NCAA Basketball Tournament in Indianapolis lost their lives early Tuesday in a plane crash east of Bloomington about two miles from Central Illinois Regional Airport.

WJBC Radio in Bloomington has confirmed the victims were Terry Stralow, Aaron Leetch, Torrey Ward, Jason Jones, Andy Butler, Scott Bittner and pilot Tom Hileman. Authorities have still not confirmed the names of those killed, but another press conference is scheduled for 5:30pm.

Stralow was the co-owner of Pub II in Normal, while Leetch was the deputy director of athletics for external affairs at ISU and Ward was the associate head coach for the men's basketball program. Jones worked for Wells Fargo, while Butler was a regional representative for Sprint and Bittner owned Bittner's Meat Locker in Eureka .

McLean County sheriff's deputies and coroner's office said the the crash occurred overnight in a field north of Illinois 9, about a mile east of Towanda Barnes Road east of Bloomington.

According to a news release from Central Illinois Regional Airport, at approximately 12:15 a.m. Peoria air traffic control notified Bloomington-Normal Airport Authority of an aircraft due back in Bloomington that had failed to close its flight plan.

The plane, a twin engine C414A Cessna Chancellor, left Indianapolis a little after midnight EST.  The plane was owned by Bittner's father, Terry.

Bloomington-Normal Airport Authority personnel responded to the airport to determine if the plane had landed at the airport and had not notified Peoria air traffic control. A thorough search inside the fence on airport property determined that the aircraft was not at the airport.

A search of the surrounding area located a crashed aircraft in a farm field approximately one mile east and north of the airport between 3 and 3:30 a.m. and the coroner's office arrived at the scene at 4:15 a.m.