Father and Son Killed in Illinois Plane Crash After Cardinals Game

Jimmy Don Lewis, 48, and his son Brayden Lewis, 22, both of Siloam Springs, Arkansas, died Thursday night when their plane crashed in a field in Monroe County near Waterloo, Illinois, New York Post reported. The Beech 95-B55 had departed St. Louis Regional Airport in Illinois bound for Siloam Springs Municipal Airport in Arkansas.

The men were returning from a St. Louis Cardinals game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Busch Stadium. The Monroe County Sheriff’s Department said the aircraft went down just before 11 p.m. A search involving law enforcement officers, firefighters, EMS personnel and drone operators began around 2:30 a.m.

Friday but was hampered by rain and poor visibility. The wreckage was located at 7:40 a.m. “We extend our deepest condolences to the victims’ family and loved ones. Our thoughts and prayers remain with them during this incredibly difficult time,” the sheriff’s department said.

Preliminary flight data indicated the plane began a turn, possibly to avoid a storm, before entering a descending spiral and losing radar contact, the department added.