Wisconsin ultralight pilot dies after crash

MADISON, Wis., Aug. 16 (UPI) -- The pilot of an ultralight aircraft died, police said, after his plane crashed and caught fire in Jefferson County, Wisc.

The small aircraft piloted by Ronald Norton, 63, of Janesville, experienced engine problems soon after takeoff Sunday morning from Fort Atkinson Municipal Airport. He attempted to glide it onto a field, but the plane crashed and then caught fire.

He was able to remove himself from the plane, officials said, and was hospitalized, first at Fort Atkinson Hospital and then at the University of Wisconsin Hospital in Madison. Norton died Monday. The cause of death was not reported.

Ultralight aircraft in the United States, by definition, weigh less than 255 pounds, seat only one person and carry no more than five gallons of fuel. An FAA pilot's license is not required, and the planes can only be flown over unpopulated areas and are often homemade or kit-based aircraft.