A tragic accident claimed the lives of an Oklahoma father and son as their plane went down on their return journey from a St. Louis Cardinals game, due to adverse weather conditions.
Jimmy Don Lewis, 48, and his 22-year-old son, Brayden Ty Lewis, were discovered deceased amidst the debris of their Beechcraft Baron 55 by emergency teams Friday morning.
Reports indicate that the aircraft likely crashed just before 11 p.m. on Thursday night near Waterloo, Illinois, according to information from KSDK.
Despite the late-night crash, rescue operations weren’t initiated until around 2:30 p.m. the following day, prompted by reports of a potential plane crash, as confirmed by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department.
Authorities, collaborating with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), worked diligently to pinpoint the search area and track the last known position of the aircraft.
Aerial search efforts were thwarted due to bad weather, not allowing crews to ‘safely conduct’ operations.
‘The Illinois State Police aircraft responded and conducted an aerial search utilizing thermal imaging technology; however, the weather conditions and cloud cover prevented crews from locating the aircraft,’ the sheriff’s department said.
Around 6am, the Waterloo Fire Command activated a drone search. Two hours later, the aircraft was located in a tree line near a rural field and the two men were confirmed to have died.
Jimmy Don Lewis, 48, and his son, Brayden Ty Lewis, 22, were found dead on Friday after their plane crashed in bad weather. They were flying home from a Cardinals game. They are pictured with Brayden’s sister Kelsey and her husband
Rescue workers found their plane crashed into a tree line near Waterloo, Illinois
Police believe the pair ran into bad weather on their way home to West Siloam Springs, near the Oklahoma-Arkansas border, after the Cardinals game.
Flight data suggested the pair had tried to turn the aircraft in a possible ‘attempt to avoid the storm, before entering what appeared to be a descending spiral,’ the sheriff’s department said.
‘Radar contact was subsequently lost.’
The crash remains under investigation by the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board.
The Lewis family appeared to be an all-American family who loved to travel and recently welcomed a grandbaby.
Lewis’ fit wife, Jill, posted photos from several of the family’s trips, including a romantic European trip with her husband, where the pair visited Rome and Venice, Italy, among other cities, in May 2024.
The family, who lives in a $1 million home, also loved to take ski trips together to Winter Park in Colorado.
Brayden, who went by Ty, recently took a trip to Spain, France, and Italy with his girlfriend Payton, as well as a boys’ trip to Mexico.
Police believe the pair ran into bad weather on their way home to West Siloam Springs and tried to turn away from the storm, only to spiral downward. Jimmy is pictured with his wife Jill
The family appeared to be an all-American family who loved to travel. Brayden often posted photos of his trips on his social media, including a recent one with his girlfriend Payton
The family also loved to ski in Colorado. They took a recent trip that Jill posted on her social media
The crash is still under investigation. The plane is believed to have crashed on late Thursday
Brayden’s girlfriend, Payton, posted a tribute on Instagram, writing ‘I will always love you. Till we meet again, my love’
His sister Kelsey (left) posted a tribute to the pair, writing that she loved them. The siblings are pictured with their mother Jill
Jimmy and Jill recently welcomed in a new grandbaby
Brayden’s social media showed the young man loved football, having played in high school, and enjoyed bull riding as a child.
He also enjoyed riding his motorcycle and working out, his social media showed.
His sister, Kelsey, who welcomed a new baby a few months ago, posted her grief on Facebook, alongside a photo of herself, her father, brother, and husband in the private plane together from an unknown date.
‘Dad insisted on taking a picture he said: “Take a picture of all of us have to have them for memories,” and anyone who knows dad, he didn’t like pictures of himself, and I already know Ty was thinking: “Really a picture without my hat?”
‘I love you both.’
Payton also posted a tribute on Instagram, writing ‘I will always love you. Till we meet again, my love.’
The Daily Mail has reached out to friends and family for comment.