One dead after plane crash near Virden

By ERIN SANSON
Enquirer~Democrat Reporter

A plane crashed outside the Virden city limits early Aug. 12. Multiple 911 calls around 8:48 a.m. reported the plane sounded like it was in distress. Two Macoupin County Deputies located the crash 1/8 of a mile south of Dean Street in Virden. The pilot was the only person in the aircraft at the time of the crash. The pilot was identified Monday as Gregory Bierman, 62, of Raymond.

Bierman was pronounced deceased at the scene by Macoupin County Coroner Anthony Kravanya. Preliminary autopsy findings suggest he died from multiple blunt force injuries sustained in the crash.

According to The State Journal Register, the plane took off from Litchfield Municipal Airport at 8:39 a.m. The pilot reportedly turned from the north and started back south when the incident happened. The plane crashed into a tree line. Deputies canvassed the area and spoke to witnesses. The Federal Aviation Administration arrived on site on Saturday and the National Transportation and Safety Board arrived Sunday.

This is the third fatal plane crash in Macoupin County over the last three years. In early May 2020, Timothy Lee Nelson of Carlinville was killed when his plane crashed near Zelmer Memorial Airpark, just south of Palmyra. A group of four passed away on May 31, 2020 when their plane crashed three miles south of Carlinville.