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Small plane crash in Illinois kills Indiana judge

(WISH file photo)

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ill. (AP) — A small plane crashed in southeastern Illinois, killing the pilot who was an Indiana judge.

The wreckage was discovered a few miles from an airport in Lawrence County, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

The pilot, Judge Ryan Johanningsmeier of Knox County, Indiana, was the only person aboard the plane.

Indiana authorities began to investigate just before 5 Saturday morning after the plane stopped in Sullivan County but didn’t arrive in Lawrence County as planned.

The plane was a single-engine Cirrus SR22.