Two people were killed on Monday in a plane crash in Wisconsin outside the grounds of one of the biggest air shows in the United States, officials said.
Emergency responders arrived at a farm field about two miles south of Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, Wis., which is hosting the Experimental Aircraft Association AirVenture showcase, and found a plane fully engulfed in fire, the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
The collision, which occurred just before 1 p.m. local time, came on the first day of the event, which showcases aerobatic displays and historical aircraft over the course of one week. Air traffic controllers at the airport were the first to report the crash, the sheriff’s office said.
The cause of the crash is under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board, and the names of those on board were not immediately released. The make and the model of the airplane were also unclear.
Although the sheriff’s office would not say how the plane that crashed might have been connected to the air show, it referred all inquiries to the aircraft association, which could not immediately be reached for comment.
Last year, two people died and two others were injured after a helicopter and a gyrocopter collided in midair during the air show. The victims were attendees of the show but the aircraft — a Rotorway 162F helicopter and an ELA 10 Eclipse gyrocopter — were not involved in the air show.
The AirVenture show typically draws about 500,000 visitors and aviation enthusiasts each summer to Wittman Regional Airport. Aircraft fans travel from about 80 different countries to see more than 10,000 aircraft, including amateur-built, ultralight and vintage military planes. The group also puts out a daily free newspaper during the event.
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