Plane wreckage found in Monroe County, father and son confirmed dead

A father and son were found dead after their plane crashed early Friday morning in rural Waterloo.

A 48-year-old man and his 22-year-old son from Oklahoma died after their plane went down in the treeline near T Road behind Columbia Quarry, according to Monroe County Sheriff’s Department spokesperson Justin Biggs.

Flight data shows the pair turned to avoid oncoming severe weather before spiraling downward, Biggs said in a Friday news release.

Investigators said the father and son departed from St. Louis Regional Airport in Bethalto after a Cardinals game Thursday night en route to Siloam Springs Municipal Airport in Arkansas.

The victims were flying in a Beechcraft Baron 55, a small, low-wing twin-engine plane often used for personal transportation.

Biggs said initial details are preliminary and subject to change as the investigation continues.

“We extend our deepest condolences to the victims’ family and loved ones,” Biggs said in the release. “Our thoughts and prayers remain with them during this incredibly difficult time.”

The release stated that an ARCH Air Medical Helicopter found the crash site at about 7:40 a.m. after several hours of searching.

Firefighters, sheriff’s deputies and Monroe County EMS were dispatched about 2:34 a.m. Friday after receiving reports of a possible aircraft crash.

Multiple fire departments, law enforcement agencies, EMS crews, drone teams and aviation assets were deployed. Low clouds and heavy overcast hindered aerial and thermal-imaging searches, officials said.

Biggs said the recovery operation employed a new Mobile Command Unit from the Monroe County Emergency Management Agency that provided a centralized location near the crash site to review drone footage, aerial imagery and other evidence.

Biggs said the local emergency response mutual aid system functioned exactly as intended.

”Specialized fire department drone teams, emergency management personnel, and support agencies from numerous counties throughout Illinois, along with agencies from across the Mississippi River in Missouri, responded without hesitation to assist,” Biggs said.

Authorities worked with the Federal Aviation Administration to narrow the search area and determine the aircraft’s last known location. Biggs said the National Transportation Safety Board was also on the scene to assume responsibility for the investigation.

Biggs said recovery operations are still ongoing and that the investigation will continue under federal authority.