POPLAR GROVE — The Boone County Coroner’s Office identified 83 year old Rockford resident Richard McClung as the pilot killed in a small plane crash Saturday in Poplar Grove. An autopsy Feb. 17 found he died from crash injuries. The Federal Aviation Administration lists him as owner of the Wittman W 8 aircraft. He is a lifetime registrant on the Illinois State Police Offender Registry after a 2007 aggravated criminal sexual abuse conviction. A 2025 lawsuit alleged abuse of an 8 year old girl while he served in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Court records show he denied knowledge of the claims and the church said he was excommunicated in 2007. Authorities say no connection has been found between the pilot and the home struck by the aircraft.
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