Pilot Dies After Ford Heights Plane Crash

FORD HEIGHTS, IL — A small plane crashed Tuesday afternoon in south suburban Ford Heights, killing the pilot, according to officials. The pilot, identified as Lawrence Jagmin, 70, of Frankfort, was pronounced dead Tuesday evening at the University of Chicago Medical Center, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner.

The Glasair III plane crashed into a wooded area near Lincoln Highway west of I-394, according to ABC Chicago.

The FAA said the plane hit a light pole and a vehicle before coming to rest in an embankment, while the pilot was airlifted to the University of Chicago Medical Center. A preliminary FAA report said the plane crashed "under unknown circumstances."

Jagmin's sister-in-law called his death "devastating," telling the Chicago Sun-Times that Jagmin had worked as a dentist for more than 42 years, operating a dental practice in Chicago Heights and Dyer, Indiana, with his brother, Gary Jagmin.

His sister-in-law told the paper Jagmin was married with two children and a grandson.