- A Walworth County Sheriff’s deputy on Monday keeps watch over the wreckage of a single-engine plane that crashed just west of the Burlington Municipal Airport Sunday, killing a father and daughter from Antioch, Ill. The airport’s runway can be seen at the upper right of the photo. (Photo by Ed Nadolski)
Plane was attempting to land at airport, officials believe
A 50-year-old Antioch, Ill., man and his 14-year-old daughter died Sunday in an airplane crash in a farm field just west of the Burlington Municipal Airport.
Todd A. Parfitt and his daughter Nicole died in the crash that was reported at 1:26 p.m., according the to Walworth County Sheriff’s office.
It appears Parfitt was attempting to land the single-engine 1972 Grumman Model AA-1B at the airport when the crash occurred, a department press release said.
Both Todd and Nicole Parfitt were ejected upon impact and suffered fatal injuries, according to sheriff’s Capt. Scott McClory.
A preliminary report posted by the National Transportation Safety Board, which is investigating the crash, said the plane was seen spiraling toward the ground prior to impact.
Several news sources have reported that Todd Parfitt kept his plane at the Burlington airport.
The field in which the plane crashed is about two-tenths of a mile east of Highway DD in the Town of Spring Prairie, just inside the Walworth County line.
According to the sheriff’s department, the crash is remains under investigation by both the NTSB and the Federal Aviation Administration.
Nicole Parfitt was reportedly a freshman at Antioch Community High School and a member of the school’s dance team. Various news outlets have reported that counselors are at the school Monday to help her classmates deal with Nicole’s death.
The crash has also spurred an outpouring of well wishes and support online. A Facebook page tribute to Nicole cropped up a few hours after the news filtered back to Antioch.
This post, attributed to Jennifer Fry Biundo, is typical of the sympathies expressed on the page:
“This was my daughter’s classmate, very sad situation but I have to say her passing has brought a lot of people together and allowed them to put their arguing aside and realize how cherished life can be.”
See the Nov. 22 print edition of the Burlington Standard Press for additional information and photos.
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What an Avoidable Shame..
-The Plane was 40 yrs old? It’s an Antique !
-I collect Classic/Old Cars and I shirley wouldn’t put my Life on the Line with any of them , eventhough they are Fully Restored Inside and Out..
and do over 50 mph in them..Most of the time I only do 25-35 ..
And what time of the Yr to do this? The Scenery is Boring- Everything is in Winter -Drab Mode on the Ground and Fall Season and Major Flocks of Birds, Geese and Ducks are flying to Run into..
What a Shame and a Waste..
And They were Spiralling Down? How Terrifying for them in their last Few Minutes…
RIP and I sure hope other Plane owners learn from this …
Retired, these comments are insufferable. Why you would choose to let everyone know how fast you drive, or your opinion of the scenery is beyond me. Is your point that there should be no planes? Or pilots? Or that pilots should only fly when you like the scenery? What is the lesson for the other plane owners to which you allude? In writing of the shame and waste of this you seem to imply knowledge of the cause of this tragedy. Did the plane crash from mechanical failure due to age, as you imply? Or did you just make that up? Was the pilot a fool for flying when the leaves are off the trees, as you suggest? Are you aware that this was a bird-strike accident? Or simply commenting that the pilot was foolish for flying when birds migrate? Your comments are premature and insensitive given the nature of this story. What might it be like for a family member to read this comment and your judgments of their loved ones?
Todd was my brother in-law’s best friend. In such an horrific time of grief, not only for the family, but the entire community, Retired’s insensitive superiority is abhorent. In tragedy, we can only hope that the best is brought out in the majority of people: that parents hold their children tighter, that spouses let the little things go without argument, and that a stranger is reminded to cherish love a little more. And before your day comes, Retired, I can only wish that you can learn to love and accept a little more often than you criticize.
You would be surprised by how old many planes are they all get an annual inspection looking for stress and mechanical or electrical issues. Planes are so much better maintained than a car they also have to get an inspection every 100 hours of time on the the meter in it and at that inspection so much of the plane is taken apart. also of note planes do not get in corrosive materials unlike automobiles. Plane are so much safer than cars and This comes from someone who loves cars so much more than I like planes.
Well, Like Old Cars, a Complete Frame off and modern restoration cost more than the Vehicle is worth in most cases..and why It isn’t done..
Take a 40 yr old “driver” car doing 20k miles a Yr and you have a car with 800,000 miles onit, even at 5k miles a Yr in it’s last 20 yrs and it still has over 250k on it.. Btwn Wiring, metal Fatique , Old fashion Brakes and 100’s of other Things that Should be replaced but aren’t until they break .
But when most of those things Break, it isn’t Life Threatening, now is it?
Of course, they always blame the Pilot As Pilot error and not the So called “strict and safety” of the Maintenance..
I don’t even go up in a Hot Air Ballon, unless I am wearing a Parachute! And All Planes Should have an Ejector Seat, not just the Expensive one’s..
Even Commerical Airline Planes.. every seat SB one..
They can Do it, it’s just the cost isn’t worth it to them, they aren’t required to have to pay enough to justify the added Millions to every planes cost ..
At some point the moderator of these forums needs to ban “retired”. His complete ignorance of facts in most of his posts have no use on these boards.
Retired, you should keep those tunnel vision glasses on , stay on the porch and sip your Koolade
Have a nice day