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The Capital Times Homemade Craft Crashes, Pilot Dies Date: Wednesday, September 4, 2002 Madison's Tom Rebholz, a father of two who was active on the local sports and outdoors scene, was killed in a plane crash Tuesday evening in the town of Cottage Grove. An experienced pilot, Rebholz, 47, went down in a single-engine plane after taking off from Blackhawk Airfield. The plane, a homemade experimental craft, was found about 7 p.m. in a cornfield near the airfield's runway. Authorities said they did not know what caused the plane to crash. Investigators from the Federal Aviation Administration said today an investigation into the crash would be lengthy and they expect to submit a report to the National Transportation Safety Board in about a month, according to Cottage Grove Police Detective Paul Matte. The board will then use the report to determine what caused the crash. The airfield, which police say is privately owned and caters to Experimental Aircraft Association members and small plane users, was closed down immediately after the crash. "We immediately secured the area and are awaiting the arrival of FAA investigators," Chris Bowker of the Cottage Grove Police Department said. An autopsy was scheduled for Thursday morning to determine the cause and manner of Rebholz' death, said Kurt Karbusicky, Chief Deputy Dane County Coroner. Rebholz had been employed by the state's Department of Workforce Development since 1986, working in information technology. A co-worker said Rebholz was known best around the office for riding his bike to work. "He was one of the few guys who tried to ride in every day," said fellow state employee Tom Gallagher. Rebholz was well known in the local cross country ski community and competed annually in the American Birkebeiner race each February in northern Wisconsin. He also was active in coaching younger skiers. In addition, Rebholz worked to introduce younger people to the experience of flying. He served as president of local Chapter 93 of the Experimental Aircraft Association's Young Eagles program, which provides free rides in small planes for youth ages 8 to 17. Since joining the Young Eagles program in 1994, Rebholz has provided 58 kids with their first airplane flights, according to the program's administrator Michelle Kunes. Rebholz is survived by his wife, Nancy, and their two teenage sons. ______________________________________________________________ All archives are stored on a SAVE (tm) newspaper library
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