One dead in plane crash near Ogle County Airport; portion of Route 64 remains closed

The pilot of a crop dusting plane lost his life Tuesday morning when his plane crashed near the Ogle County Airport, between Oregon and Mt. Morris.

The pilot of the plane, whose name is yet to be released, died in the 9:36 a.m. accident, Ogle County Sheriff Brian VanVickle said.

“When we arrived on scene, there was a crop duster that was fully engulfed on the north side of Illinois Route 64,” VanVickle said.

After hitting the power lines, the small plane came to rest on the north side of the state highway in a corner of a cornfield located near the driveway of the Aframe Family Greenhouse, 2810 IL-64, Oregon.

Mt. Morris Fire Chief Rob G. Hough IV said his department responded to the scene at 9:41 a.m., within 4 minutes of the call.

“We found the plane upside down and on fire,” said Hough. “We extinguished the fire and were able to find out what chemicals the plane was carrying.”

VanVickle said seven power poles were impacted because of the crash, causing electrical outages for some people in that area. Xfinity/Comcast transmission lines were also impacted resulting in outages for some customers.

Hough said radios went down briefly due to the power outage caused by the crash.

Authorities blocked off a section of Illinois Route 64 between Mt. Morris and Oregon. Westbound traffic was being rerouted to Rock Road and eastbound traffic was stopped at Ridge Road, on the east edge of Mt. Morris.

That section of the road will remain closed to allow ComEd crews full access to the area until power lines are repaired, VanVickle said.

The small airport is located on the south side of the state highway and has one grass runway that runs west to east, parallel with the state highway.

Hough said the accident could have been worse if the plane had hit a vehicle traveling on the busy highway.

The greenhouse, located about 25 yards from the plane’s wreckage, was open at the time of the crash. Hough said a customer at the greenhouse heard a crash and saw wreckage when they looked out.

ComEd crews had arrived Tuesday afternoon and were busy redirecting transmission lines and preparing to replace broken poles with new ones.

VanVickle said the sheriff’s office is awaiting the arrival of the National Transportation Safety Board to investigate the accident. He said their arrival could be delayed due to other incidents in the region and the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh Fly-In held in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. That event attracts hundreds of thousands of aviation enthusiasts and pilots to the region.

The affected section of state highway will remain closed for the remainder of the day, VanVickle said.

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A ComEd worker assesses damage to power lines along Illinois Route 64 following a single plane accident near the Ogle County Airport between Oregon and Mt. Morris on Tuesday, July 22, 2025. The pilot of a crop dusting plane was killed after hitting power lines near the airport. A section of Illinois Route 64 was closed for ComEd crews to repair the damage. (Earleen Hinton)