LAWRENCEVILLE, Ill. — A small plane crashed Saturday in southeastern Illinois, killing the pilot who was an Indiana judge, authorities said.
The wreckage was discovered a few miles from an airport in Lawrence County, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
The pilot, Knox County, Indiana, Judge Ryan Johanningsmeier, was the only person aboard the plane, said Sheriff Clark Cottom in Sullivan County, Indiana.
“Official identification is pending and will be released by the Lawrence County coroner’s office,” Cottom said.
Cottom’s deputies began to investigate after the plane stopped in Sullivan County but didn’t arrive in Lawrence County as planned. The plane was a single-engine Cirrus SR22, the National Transportation Safety Board said.
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