What happened
On July 21, 2008, a Czech Aircraft Works Sport Cruiser, registration N602CF, crashed near Cushing Field (0C8) in Newark, Illinois. The aircraft, which was being operated as a rental by Sport Pilot Chicago, departed from the grass runway 36 at approximately 10:30 central daylight time for a local flight.
At the time of the accident, weather conditions were visual meteorological conditions (VMC) with calm winds and 10 miles of visibility. While an airport employee observed the aircraft take off, there were no witnesses to the actual impact. Later that afternoon, another pilot spotted the aircraft in a nearby bean field. The wreckage was located within the airport's traffic pattern, specifically near the location where a pilot would transition from a left downwind leg to a left base leg.
The pilot, a 77-and-year-old Sport Pilot with approximately 104 hours of flight time in certificated airplanes, sustained 1 fatal injury.