Small Plane Crash in Foggy Conditions Kills 5 Near Bloomington Airport; College Basketball Coach Among the Victims, Reports Say

Sean Breslin
Published: April 7,2015

 

 

 

At least five people were killed in a plane crash Monday night near Central Illinois Regional Airport in Bloomington with foggy conditions present, according to local reports.

The Chicago Tribune said the passengers were returning from the NCAA Tournament in Indianapolis Monday night when conditions rapidly deteriorated, and the Cessna 414 went down some time before the expected landing at about midnight.
Around the time of the crash, conditions at Central Illinois Regional Airport showed declining visibilities and light wind, according to weather.com meteorologist Chris Dolce.
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"My daughter's husband and three other men and the pilot went to the NCAA game last night and they were flying back and I guess the weather was bad in central Illinois. It was foggy," said Scott Barrows, the father-in-law of the plane's owner, Scott Bittner, who was killed in the crash, in the Chicago Tribune report.
Among those killed in the crash was Illinois State Men's Basketball associate head coach Torrey Ward, according to NBC Sports. Ward had been a member of the ISU staff since 2012 and leaves behind two young children, according to CBS Sports. Ward sent his last tweet from the NCAA Tournament final Monday night:

Shortly after news of Ward's death began to circulate, his players mourned the loss on Twitter.
 

Reggie♛Lynch @Air_Regiinald

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I cant believe my dear friend and coach is gone. You were and are such an important person in my life. #RIPTorreyWard

12:18 PM - 7 Apr 2015

Illinois State officials have announced a press conference that will be held at noon local time Tuesday afternoon, when more details will be made available.
Please check back with The Weather Channel and weather.com for more updates on this story.
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