A night spent together watching baseball ended in tragedy after a father and his 22-year-old son were killed when their private plane crashed in rural Illinois while flying home from a St. Louis Cardinals vs. Milwaukee Brewers game.
The victims have been identified as 48-year-old pilot Jimmy Don Lewis and his son, Brayden Ty Lewis, 22.
According to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department, the father and son had attended the St. Louis Cardinals game in Missouri before departing late Thursday night for their journey home.
Their Beechcraft Baron 55 departed St. Louis Regional Airport in Bethalto, Illinois, and was bound for Siloam Springs Municipal Airport in Arkansas.
But investigators believe the aircraft flew into an area of developing severe weather.
Flight data reportedly shows the Beechcraft beginning a turn, possibly as the pilot attempted to avoid the storm. What happened next is now a critical focus of the investigation.
Officials said the aircraft then appeared to enter a “descending spiral.”
Radar contact was subsequently lost.
At approximately 2:34 a.m. on Friday, July 10, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department launched an active search-and-rescue operation following reports of a possible aircraft crash south of Waterloo, Illinois.
The search proved extremely difficult. Low cloud cover, rain and poor visibility hampered crews for several hours as multiple agencies worked to locate the missing plane.
An ARCH Air Medical helicopter ultimately spotted the wreckage within a tree line adjacent to a field in rural Monroe County, behind the Columbia Quarry near T Road.
Once the Beechcraft Baron 55 was located, the search-and-rescue mission transitioned to a recovery operation.
Both Jimmy and Brayden were confirmed dead.
The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are now investigating the crash and will work to determine exactly what caused the aircraft to lose control. Investigators are expected to examine weather conditions, flight data, the aircraft’s mechanical condition and other factors surrounding the final moments of the flight.
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Department praised the professionalism and coordinated response of all agencies involved in the difficult overnight search.
A father and son went to a baseball game together and began their flight home. Tragically, they never made it back.
