3 dead after small airplane crashes in downstate Illinois: state police

Three people are dead after small airplane crashed on I-55 in downstate Lincoln Tuesday morning.

The deaths of the three occupants of the plane were confirmed by the Logan County Coroner, Illinois State Police spokesperson Mindy Carroll said in an email. Their names have not been released.

The plane burst into flames after crashing in the middle of the highway, according to state police. The crash occurred at 8:49 a.m. at milepost 126, about 35 miles northeast of Springfield.

In a statement, the FAA said the plane, a single-engine, four-seat Cessna 172, was destroyed. The NTSB is leading an investigation.

Road closures are expected to last 4 to 5 hours, state police said.

In January, former mayor of Springfield, Frank Edwards and his wife, Sangamon County Coroner Cinda Edwards, were two of the three people killed when a small plane crashed in unincorporated Sangamon County.