Williamson County plane crash claims life of one person

MARION – A single-engine plane crashed at Williamson County Airport in Marion Friday, June 10, leaving one man dead and another critically injured.

John Alleman, 56 of Carbondale, was pronounced dead at the scene, while Todd Greiner, 64 of West Frankfort, was injured and taken to a St. Louis-area hospital with major injuries.

It was the first aviation-related death in the history of the Williamson County Airport.

Brian Burgess, Williamson County Fire Protection District battalion chief, said the plane crashed at around 4:38 p.m. Friday.

Preliminary investigations have determined that the two experienced pilots were performing a  “touch and go” exercise with Alleman at the controls of the  Cirrus SR22. It is a maneuver pilots use to land when an engine goes out and requires the pilot complete three 360-degree rotations as the plane descends. 

The two men had departed from the same airport and were practicing maneuvers Friday.

Alleman was a Carbondale attorney. Preliminary results from forensic pathologist Dr. John Heidingsfelder states the cause of his death as multiple impact trauma as the result of the plane crash. 

Greiner is the former pastor of the Community of Faith Church in Marion. Family friends say he suffered multiple injuries and faces critical surgeries in the days ahead.

Alleman’s death has been ruled an accident pending the outcome of the National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration investigations. 

The accident remained under investigation by the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office, The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration. 

Any further information will be released by the National Transportation Safety Board, according to Capt. Brian Thomas of the Williamson County Sheriff’s Department.

(Editor’s note: this story is courtesy of The Marion Star.)