The Associated Press via The Chicago Tribune
PITTSVILLE, Wis. — A state Department of Natural Resources plane being used to help spot grass fires crashed Wednesday, killing the pilot, authorities said.
Tom Korte, a dispatcher for the Wood County Dispatch Center, said the pilot was the only person on the plane, which the Federal Aviation Administration described as a multiengine, Cessna 337 manufactured in 1967.
The pilot was identified as Heath Van Handel, 36, a DNR employee for three years who had also worked as a commercial pilot and flight instructor.
Full story: Gov. calls Van Handel “a courageous, experienced pilot”