Wisconsin pilot flees officers, later crashes into cornfield

OSHKOSH, Wis. – Authorities say they were trying to arrest a Wisconsin man on a domestic abuse-related charge when he fled in an airplane before crashing into a cornfield.

The Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office says officers went to Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh on Friday night to try to arrest the 47-year-old for violating a restraining order and other charges. For 18 days, investigators had checked locations he was known to frequent, including the hangar where he kept his plane.

The department says he took off despite instructions from the control tower to hold until officers arrived, nearly hitting an Oshkosh police car before becoming airborne. The twin-engine plane crashed about two hours later near Waupaca, about 40 miles away.

The pilot was hospitalized with serious injuries that weren’t life-threatening. Charges are pending in connection to the plane incident.