Wauwatosa plane crash: Student pilot injured, wreck removed

WAUWATOSA, Wis. - An 18-year-old student pilot remains in critical condition after the plane he was flying crashed in the backyard of a Wauwatosa home Thursday, May 26. 

The plane was part of a flying school, and the student pilot had taken off from Timmerman Airport before crashing just blocks away near103rd and Courtland.

The student pilot had called back to the tower for support, saying the engine had stalled shortly after takeoff. The plane whizzed past a home and smashed into the ground. Crews removed the mangled wreckage Friday afternoon.

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Regis Di Giacomo couldn't believe it when he saw the plane on the news. Also a student pilot, he has logged more than 200 practice hours in the aircraft. He doesn't know the 18-year-old, but knows a lot about the small two-seat Cessna 152 that went down – he was supposed to fly it Thursday.

"I was going to fly that morning. That could’ve been me," he said.

Di Giacomo is still waiting to know what went wrong as his thoughts turn to the injured teen.

"The first thing that comes to my mind is what I would have done. What was my training?" he said.

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Timmerman Airport closed briefly on Thursday for planes coming and going after the crash. The FAA and NTSB are investigating what caused the crash.

If you witnessed the crash or have video of the incident, please contact the Wauwatosa Police Department at 414-471-8430.