DeKALB - The 62-year-old Sycamore man whose aircraft crashed Tuesday shortly after taking off from the DeKalb Taylor Municipal Airport remained in good condition Wednesday afternoon.

James L. Auman remained at OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center in Rockford about 3 p.m. Wednesday, a hospital spokesman said. Authorities had released his plane to him, but officials with the Federal Aviation Administration expected their standard investigation would take weeks or months to complete.

At about 3:45 p.m. Tuesday, Auman took off in a small plane colored red and gray with “Metal Illness” emblazoned on the side. The plane lost power, crashing into a field and flipping over south of Route 38 and east of Peace Road, authorities said.