Family members of Illinois governor candidate killed in helicopter crash: Campaign

Zachary Bailey was piloting the helicopter when it went down, said Aaron Del Mar, who is Darren Bailey’s running mate and serving as a family spokesperson. They were in Montana on a business trip so that Zachary Bailey could expand their use of helicopters as part of the family’s farm business, Del Mar said. Bailey and his two brothers helped their father run their farm in south-central Illinois. Zachary Bailey first got his helicopter license years ago, Del Mar said, so that he could deliver medical supplies and aid to people in third-world countries. “That was a driving force for him to get his license,” he said. The cause of the crash was not known, Del Mar said. No one else was on board, he said. The National Transportation Safety Board said Thursday it was investigating the crash near the town of Ekalaka. The sheriff’s office in Carter County said it responded to the site Wednesday evening southwest of the town in the hilly Chalk Butte area where the flat-topped buttes have few trees.