A DAD and his son were killed after their private plane was caught in a descending spiral on the way home from a Major League Baseball game.

Jimmy Don Lewis, 48, and his 22-year-old son Brayden died when their Beechcraft Baron 55 crashed into a field in rural Illinois late on Thursday.

Jimmy Don Lewis, 48, and his 22-year-old son Brayden died when their private plane crashed

The jet was caught in a descending spiral on the way home from a Major League Baseball game

The pair, from Siloam Springs, Arkansas, had been returning from watching the St. Louis Cardinals take on the Milwaukee Brewers at Busch Stadium.

Jimmy was piloting the aircraft from St. Louis Regional Airport in Bethalto, Illinois, to Siloam Springs Municipal Airport when disaster struck just before 11pm.

Investigators believe the plane flew into an area of developing severe weather before the pilot apparently tried to avoid the storm.

Preliminary flight data showed the aircraft began turning before entering what officials described as a “descending spiral”.

Radar contact was then suddenly lost.

A huge search operation was launched at around 2.34am on Friday involving police, firefighters, EMS crews, drone operators and an ARCH Air Medical helicopter.

But torrential rain, low cloud and poor visibility hampered the desperate hunt for hours.

The wreckage was finally discovered at 7.40am in a tree line beside a field behind the Columbia Quarry near T Road in Monroe County.

The rescue mission immediately became a recovery operation after both occupants were found dead.

The Monroe County Sheriff’s Department said: “The aircraft appeared to begin a turn, possibly in an attempt to avoid the storm, before entering what appeared to be a descending spiral. Radar contact was subsequently lost.”

The Monroe County Coroner’s Office later identified the victims as Jimmy Don Lewis and Brayden Ty Lewis.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are now leading the investigation into what caused the fatal crash.

The Monroe County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement.“We extend our deepest condolences to the victims’ family and loved ones.

Our thoughts and prayers remain with them during this incredibly difficult time.”

“The Monroe County Sheriff’s Department, Waterloo Fire Department, and Monroe County Coroner’s Office wish to recognize the exceptional professionalism, dedication, and coordinated response demonstrated by every agency involved throughout this incident.”

Source: https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/39730141/dad-son-killed-plane-crash-mlb-match/