Oshkosh man killed in ultralight plane crash in Poygan

POYGAN – The pilot killed in ultralight airplane crash Wednesday evening is a 57-year-old Oshkosh man, authorities said Thursday.

The Winnebago County Sheriff's Department identified the pilot as James M. Sakowski, 57, of Oshkosh. Authorities said the cause of the crash, which happened at about 7:15 p.m. Wednesday, is still under investigation.

Authorities from multiple law enforcement and emergency medical departments in western Winnebago County responded Wednesday evening to a report of an ultralight plane crashing into a field in the 7400 block of Oak Hill Road, just west of Omro.

The Omro Police Department blocked off a section of the town road from Broderick Road to O'Reilly Road, from shortly after authorities responded to the scene at 7:15 p.m. Wednesday until about 9 p.m.

The scene was just west of a small, rural airstrip often used by local aviation enthusiasts and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, neighbors said, calling a crash — or any law enforcement presence in general — a rare occurrence in the rural community, where the last such crash was a few years ago.

The National Transportation Safety Board will lead an investigation into the crash, which could take several months to a year or more to complete.