Sky-Diving Plane Crashes; 12 Killed

HINCKLEY, Ill. — A sky-diving plane crashed and burned in a farm field Monday, killing all 12 aboard, authorities said.

The twin-engine Beechcraft B-18 went down shortly before 1 p.m. about one mile north of town, the De Kalb County Sheriff’s Department said.

Rescue workers found the burned bodies of 12 males on the aircraft, which was being used by the Hinckley Parachute Club, Sheriff Roger A. Scott said. There were parachutes aboard, but there was no evidence that any of the victims attempted to leave the plane, which crashed moments after taking off, he said.

On the scene, the tail of the wrecked plane was visible above waist-high soybeans in the field. Dozens of emergency vehicles were in the field, and rescue workers fanned out on foot to search for victims before Scott declared that all aboard had died.