Owner Of Galt Airport Killed In Plane Crash

MCHENRY COUNTY, IL — The pilot killed when a single-engine plane crashed near a McHenry County airport Friday evening has been identified as Claude Sonday. Sonday, of Bull Valley, was the owner of Galt Airport, a small airport located in the middle of a corn field in Wonder Lake.

The McHenry County Coroner's Office completed an autopsy Tuesday on Sonday, according to the coroner's office. Meanwhile, in a Facebook post Monday on the Galt Airport page, friends of Sonday said they were grieving his death.

"Words cannot fully express our profound sadness at the loss of our friend and owner of Galt Airport, Claude Sonday. He will be missed greatly by all who knew him," according to the post. Funeral arrangements have not yet been announced.

The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are now investigating the collision, which happened at about 5:15 p.m. Friday near Galt Airport, according to authorities. Sonday, the pilot and sole occupant of the plane, an EA-300 LC plane, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Officials with the NTSB said the aircraft was expected to be delivered to an off-site facility Sunday as a probe continues into the crash.

Officials could not share the probable cause of the accident as an investigation into the incident is ongoing, Sarah Taylor Sulick, public affairs specialist with the National Transportation Safety Board told Patch in an email response Monday.