LAWRENCE COUNTY, Ill. (WTHI) - A Knox County judge was killed in an early morning plane crash in Lawrence County.
Officials told News 10 Judge Ryan Johanningsmeier was killed in the crash. Johanningsmeier was the pilot, and alone in the plane.
Just before 5:00 Saturday morning, the Sullivan County Sheriff's Office received a call about an overdue airplane that should have landed at an airport in Lawrence County.
Johanningsmeier stopped an airport in Sullivan County and fueled up before taking off to the airport in Lawrence County.
Officials confirm Judge Ryan D. Johanningsmeier was killed in this crash. @WTHITV https://t.co/WnR5lu0xaO
— Heather Good (@HeatherGoodWTHI) August 29, 2020
The Sullivan County Sheriff's Office and the Lawrence County Sheriff's Office started to search for the missing plane.
Sullivan County Sheriff Clark Cottom requested an Indiana State Police helicopter, but because of fog, it couldn't be used.
Around 8:00 am another pilot reported what they believed was wreckage about three-miles north of the Lawrence County airport.
Now, the FAA, Lawrence County Sheriff's Office, and the Lawrence County Coroner's Office are investigating the crash.
