An Oklahoma father and his adult son were killed while flying home from a St. Louis Cardinals game when their plane went down in poor weather.
Rescue crews found 48-year-old Jimmy Don Lewis and 22-year-old Brayden Ty Lewis dead Friday morning inside the wreckage of their Beechcraft Baron 55.
The aircraft is believed to have crashed shortly before 11 p.m. Thursday near Waterloo, Illinois, KSDK reported.
According to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department, emergency crews were not sent out until around 2:30 a.m., after authorities received a report of a possible plane crash.
Investigators then coordinated with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to narrow down the search zone and identify the plane’s last known position.
Search teams faced difficult conditions from the start, with severe weather preventing crews from safely carrying out aerial 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.
At about 6 a.m., Waterloo Fire Command launched a drone search. Roughly two hours later, the wreckage was discovered along a tree line near a rural field, where both men were confirmed dead.
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, where the team lost 8-4 to the Milwaukee Brewers.
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’ 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.
