HAMPTON, Ill. Tragedy marred a Mississippi River festival inwestern Illinois when a helicopter selling rides crashed, killing thepilot and two passengers, police said Sunday.
The helicopter, owned by Midwest Aviation of Davenport, Iowa,had offered rides throughout the day Saturday to people at the secondannual Hampton Beach Party before it crashed about 7:30 p.m., saidHampton Police Chief Stephen Danay.
The three-seat helicopter had taken off from the festival, whichdrew a crowd of about 5,000, and had flown two miles north when theengine failed and it slammed into a grassy field in Illiniwek Park,Danay said.
He said the crash killed pilot Gary Wesolowski, 27, of nearbySilvis, and two passengers - John Cross, 41, of Davenport andMarjorie Schroeder, 28, of Moline.
Three federal investigators - one from the NationalTransportation Safety Board and two from the Federal AviationAdministration - worked at the crash site Sunday, trying to determinewhat caused the crash, Danay said.
He said reports from witnesses indicated the helicopter's enginestopped completely, but he said investigators were trying to figureout why.
"We've got a beach party where we have entertainment and foodand where they were selling helicopter rides," Danay said Sunday."Everything was going great, and then the chopper went down in theIlliniwek Forest Preserve.
"According to witnesses, the engine failed, quit running, and itdropped 200 feet to the ground and was completely destroyed onimpact," the police chief said.
The helicopter crashed into a grassy field about one block froma campground at Illiniwek.
"It appeared the pilot realized he had problems and tried to putit down in a grassy field when this happened," Danay said.
Cross was killed instantly, Danay said. The pilot was dead onarrival at Moline Public Hospital in nearby Moline, and Schroederdied at Illini Hospital in Silvis, officials said.
Danay said the two passengers apparently were friends who wereattending the beach party.
Helicopter rides were offered at last year's festival, held onthe Mississippi at the town of 2,000.
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