A father and son died Thursday night when their small plane crashed in a field in Monroe County, Illinois, while en route home from a St. Louis Cardinals baseball game. The aircraft was traveling from St. Louis Regional Airport in Illinois to Siloam Springs Municipal Airport in Arkansas.
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Department confirmed the fatalities of Jimmy Don Lewis, 48, and his son, Brayden, 22, both of Siloam Springs, Arkansas. The pair had been in St. Louis to watch the Cardinals play the Milwaukee Brewers.
Investigators believe the plane, a Beech 95-B55, crashed just before 11 p.m. Thursday. The sheriff's department stated that preliminary flight data indicated the aircraft may have begun a turn, possibly to avoid a storm, before entering a descending spiral. Radar contact was lost shortly thereafter.
Search efforts for the aircraft commenced around 2:30 a.m. Friday but were hampered by rain and poor visibility. A combined team of law enforcement, firefighters, EMS personnel, and drone operators located the wreckage at 7:40 a.m.
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Department issued a statement expressing condolences to the victims' family and loved ones. "Our thoughts and prayers remain with them during this incredibly difficult time," the statement read.