Crime & Safety
Update: Pilot Identified Who Died In Single-Engine Plane Crash
The pilot of a single-engine plane died when it crashed in Loudoun. Authorities released the victim's name Friday.
LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA — A single-engine plane crashed in Loudoun County on Thursday. The pilot of the plane died when it crashed on a farm in Purcellville, according to a news release from the Virginia State Police.
Authorities identified the pilot as William Krens, a 77-year-old resident of Hillsboro, Virginia. Krens was the only person aboard the plane when it crashed, police said.
On Thursday afternoon, Krens took off from a private airstrip in a 1979 fixed-wing single-engine Beech aircraft. The plane crashed just moments after takeoff, according to a release from the authorities.
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Authorities have not determined the cause of the crash at this time.
The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office shut down traffic in both directions on Route 9, west of Harpers Ferry Road, as rescue personnel worked on the crash. The closure lasted at least two hours.
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Shortly before 6 p.m. on Thursday, the sheriff's office said Charles Town Pike was open in all directions.
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