Authorities identify victim in Jones County plane crash

Authorities have identified the victim of a fatal plane crash in Jones County, Iowa and provided additional details about the incident. 69-year-old James “Jim” E. Rohlf of rural Bennett, Iowa was killed in the Monday crash. According to the Jones County Sheriff’s Department, Monday afternoon authorities responded to a downed aircraft in a field south of Monticello. Rohlf, the pilot and only occupant of the plane, was found dead in the cockpit. A preliminary investigation determined that the plane departed Monticello Regional Airport and shortly after takeoff reported engine trouble and was going to return to the airport. Less than a minute later the aircraft went down in a soybean field. Wreckage has been recovered from the field and the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are leading the investigation into the crash. A preliminary report on the crash is expected within 30 days. A probable cause of the crash, along with any contributing factors, will be detailed in a final report, which is expected within two years.