MONROE COUNTY - Two Oklahoma residents, a 48-year-old pilot and his 22-year-old son, were found dead Friday, July 10, 2026, after their aircraft crashed in rural Monroe County, Ill., south of Waterloo, according to a joint statement from the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department, Waterloo Fire Department and Monroe County Coroner’s Office.
Authorities said emergency agencies were dispatched at about 2:34 a.m. Friday, July 10, 2026, after reports of a possible aircraft crash. The search, hampered by low cloud cover, rain and poor visibility, ended when an ARCH Air Medical helicopter located the crash site at about 7:40 a.m. in a tree line adjacent to a field behind the Columbia Quarry near T Road.
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Preliminary information indicates the aircraft departed from St. Louis Regional Airport in Bethalto, Ill. and was headed to Siloam Springs Municipal Airport in Arkansas. Investigators said they learned the pilot and his son had attended a St. Louis Cardinals baseball game before departing on their return flight home.
Recovery operations have concluded, and the investigation will continue under the direction of federal agencies, the release said. The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board will lead the investigation and determine the official cause of the crash.
“Based upon preliminary information currently available, investigators believe the aircraft departed into an area of developing severe weather,” the information said. “Flight data indicates 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.”
Authorities emphasized that those findings are preliminary and subject to further investigation by federal authorities.
Emergency personnel initially coordinated with the FAA to establish the aircraft’s last known location and develop a search area. At about 5:57 a.m., Waterloo Fire Command activated a MABAS Division 32 First and Second Alarm Drone Response, bringing in specialized drone teams and personnel from numerous fire departments in Illinois and the St. Louis metropolitan region.
The search involved the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department, Waterloo Police Department, fire department drone teams and other assisting agencies before the ARCH Air Medical helicopter joined aerial search efforts, according to the release.
Members of the Waterloo Fire Department, Maeystown Fire Department, Monroe County Sheriff’s Department and Monroe County Coroner’s Office remained at the scene until FAA representatives arrived and assumed responsibility for the investigation.
The victims’ identities were not released “out of respect to their families,” the info said.
The joint statement said the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department, Waterloo Fire Department and Monroe County Coroner’s Office were providing “the most current confirmed facts available at the time of this release.”
The agencies also recognized the response by regional emergency personnel and support from the community. The release said the Monroe County Emergency Management Agency deployed resources including generators and the county’s newly acquired Mobile Command Unit, which officials said helped centralize communications and provide live drone video, aerial imagery, mapping and intelligence to incident commanders in real time.
The statement also thanked the owners and staff of the Silo Bar & Grill for allowing responders to establish an incident command post on their property and for providing restroom facilities, coffee and refreshments. It also recognized Pastor Jamey Bridges of Life Community Church in Columbia for providing support to the victims’ family members who traveled from out of state.
“At the time of this release, this is the most current information available,” the statement said. “Any future updates regarding the investigation will be released by the appropriate federal investigative agencies.”
