Philadelphia man among 2 killed in plane crash near site of air show in Wisconsin

NEKIMI, Wis. — A Philadelphia man and a man from New York have been preliminarily identified as the victims of a fatal plane crash near the site of an airshow in eastern Wisconsin.

The bodies of Sean Tommervik, 37, of Philadelphia, and James G. Sullivan, 32, of Brooklyn, were found Monday in the wreckage in a farm field, the Winnebago County sheriff’s office said Wednesday in a release.

“Official medical examiner confirmation will take additional time,” the sheriff’s office said. “However, after the initial investigation, there is no reason to believe the occupants were anyone other than Mr. Tommervik and Mr. Sullivan.”

They were the only people aboard the Lancair Super ES which was owned by Tommervik. First responders found the plane fully engulfed in flames in the field in the town of Nekimi. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating.

The plane crashed about 2 miles south of the site of the EAA AirVenture air show at Oshkosh’s Wittman Regional Airport. Monday was the first day of the 71st AirVenture, a weeklong event scheduled to include military aircraft demonstrations and forums with combat pilots, aircraft designers and NASA astronauts, the Oshkosh Northwestern reported.