STANLEY, Wis. (AP) -- An investigator says the pilot killed when his ultralight crashed in a field near Stanley had flown the aircraft for years and was so well known that people on the ground frequently waved to him.

Chippewa County Sheriff's Capt. Eugene Gutsch said Thursday that 45-year-old John Junker of rural Boyd died in the Wednesday night crash.

Gutsch says just before the crash, Junker waved at some people on the ground as he flew over the treetops. He says one eyewitness reported that he saw Junker suddenly get a real serious look on his face like something was wrong and then the plane just nose-dived to the ground.

Gutsch says the plane hit the ground, rolled and came to rest up against a garage. He says it's believed that some kind of mechanical problem caused the crash.