Former Springfield mayor and his wife among 3 dead in Illinois plane crash

Former Springfield mayor, wife among 3 dead in Illinois plane crash, sources say

Three people were killed when a small plane crashed in a field southeast of Springfield, Illinois, authorities said Tuesday.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Former Springfield, Illinois, Mayor Frank Edwards and his wife, Sangamon County Coroner Cinda Edwards, were two of the three people killed when a small plane crashed in a central Illinois field, authorities said Wednesday.

The crash Tuesday also killed John Evans, 69, of Glenarm, said Jim Allmon, chief deputy coroner for Sangamon County.

Edwards, 69, was appointed mayor by the Springfield City Council in December 2010 after the death of Mayor Tim Davlin. Cinda Edwards, 63, had been coroner since 2011.

The twin-engine Piper Aerostar went down around 3 p.m. Tuesday in an unincorporated area of Sangamon County.

The plane was attempting to land at Abraham Lincoln Capitol Airport in Springfield when the pilot reported having trouble with the plane’s instruments, the Sangamon County Sheriff's Department said.

Also killed in the crash was a dog.