Hovland resident Denny Pechacek went missing Friday, August 18, while flying his ultra-light aircraft. He went on a flight from his small airstrip on Flute Reed River Road and was last seen in the air around Hammer Road, which is just northwest of Chicago Bay off of Highway 61 in Hovland. He was reported missing to the Cook County Law Enforcement Center just before 7 pm that evening.
Pechacek could not be reached on his cell phone, and the aircraft does not have a locator beacon. Cook County Search and Rescue, along with the Hovland and Colvill Fire Departments, began a search Friday evening and all day Saturday and Sunday involving fixed-wing aircraft, drones, and dozens of rescuers from various state and federal agencies on the ground.
As of our deadline (Tuesday, August 22) no trace of Pechacek or his aircraft has turned up and the search for him continues on the ground. The terrain is wooded and rugged and is being scoured deliberately. All are hoping to find the missing pilot.
Pechacek is a long-time resident of Cook County and is well-known in Hovland. He is an experienced ultralight pilot. According to a 2020 article in Northern Wilds magazine, Pechacek was certified a quarter century ago as a paraglider in his native Czech Republic. His ultralight is similar to a paraglider with the addition of an engine. He has more than seven years of motorized ultralight flying, much of it in the Cook County area.
