Father and son killed in plane crash after St. Louis Cardinals game

A father and his 22-year-old son fly their small plane to St. He was killed when he got into a developing storm while returning home from a St. Louis Cardinals game.

The Monroe County Sheriff’s Department in Illinois said in a press release that the 48-year-old pilot and his son were killed late Thursday in St. Louis, Bethalto. He said they took off from St. Louis Regional Airport and were headed to Siloam Springs Municipal Airport in Arkansas when the plane crashed near Waterloo, Illinois.

The Monroe County Coroner’s Office confirmed the identities of the father and son as Jimmy Don Lewis and Brayden Ty Lewis. KSDK.

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Investigators said the couple spent the evening at a Cardinals game before returning home on what was believed to be a Beechcraft Baron 55 private plane.

“Investigators believe the plane was heading to an area experiencing severe weather conditions,” officials said. “Flight data indicate that the aircraft began a turn before entering a descending spiral, possibly in an attempt to avoid inclement weather. Radar contact was then lost.”

Jimmy Don Lewis and Brayden Ty Lewis are pictured together. (Facebook/jill.lewis.311)

Emergency crews were dispatched to the area around 2:34 a.m. Friday after reports of a possible plane crash south of Waterloo. Search efforts were hampered for hours by low clouds, rain and poor visibility, prompting authorities to travel to Illinois and St. This forced the team to rely on a massive multi-agency response that included expert drone teams from the St. Louis area.

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The ARCH Air Medical helicopter located the wreckage in a wooded area near the Columbia Quarry around 7:40 a.m. after investigators narrowed the search area.

“We extend our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims,” ​​officials said after confirming that both people on board died in the crash. he said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with them during this incredibly difficult time.”

Kelsey Lewis told Daily Mail He said his father and brother earned their pilot’s licenses together and that the pair “did everything together.” He also described his father as an experienced flyer.

“My dad was very, very careful about everything when it came to flying,” Kelsey said. “Very careful.”

The Monroe County Sheriff’s Department worked with the Waterloo Fire Department, Maeystown Fire Department and the Monroe County Coroner’s Office during the investigation. The FAA and NTSB then took over the investigation to determine the official cause of the crash. (Facebook/Monroe County Sheriff’s Department)

He said an apparent glitch in the plane’s weather monitoring system, which caused readings to be delayed by about 30 minutes, may have led to the crash.

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Representatives from the Federal Aviation Administration later took charge of the crash scene, while the National Transportation Safety Board and FAA continue to investigate the cause of the crash.

Officials emphasized that the findings disclosed so far are preliminary and the federal investigation is ongoing.