Plane crash near site of Wisconsin air show leaves Philadelphia man dead

NEKIMI, Wisconsin (WPVI) -- A plane crash in Nekimi, Wisconsin, left two people dead on Monday, including a Philadelphia man.

"This is really tragic," said David McVinnie who is the chief instructor of McVinnie Aviation.

The Winnebago County Sheriff's Office found the bodies of Sean Tommervik, 37, of El Paso, Texas, who recently moved to Philadelphia, and James Sullivan, 32, of Nashville, Tennessee, who recently moved to of Brooklyn, New York.

"Sean was professional in all aspects," said McVinnie. "He enjoyed flying. He always challenged himself to do a good job. (He) tried to do a better job every time."

McVinnie is a retired Federal Aviation Administration pilot examiner and chief instructor. He trained with Tommervik in El Paso, Texas, in 2013.

"He did so well in the training I recommended he go ahead and study up and basically get his airline transport pilot certificate, which is the highest level you could get," said McVinnie. "The check ride he took with me was the hardest check ride the FAA offers."

The sheriff's office said Tommervik owned the plane, which was a Lancair Super ES.

"The airplane he was flying is an experimental," said McVinnie. "It's a high-performance airplane. It flies very fast and it requires being on top of the game. But he's owned it...the last registration was 2021."

McVinnie said he doesn't know if Tommervik built the plane or purchased it from someone else who constructed it. He said the plane flew out of Trenton, NJ, that morning, and he listened to the air traffic control recording just minutes before the crash.

They were about two miles from the site of the week-long EAA AirVenture Air Show.

"He called the traffic like he was supposed to. So, unless something distracted him, I'm not really sure what it is," said McVinnie, who hopes many can learn from this tragedy while remembering Tommervik's passion for planes.

"He was young. He enjoyed flying," said McVinnie. "He ended it the way he wanted to, doing what he loved. It happens quick sometimes, and my condolences to his family."

Documents show Tommervik had one other accident in 2012. The NTSB determined his plane crashed after he failed to properly manage the fuel, but he walked away with minor injuries.

The NTSB will have a preliminary report regarding this latest crash within 30 days.