4 killed when small plane hits powerlines and crashes in central Illinois

Four people were killed Saturday morning when a small plane crashed in central Illinois after hitting a set of power lines.

The crash occurred at around 10:15 a.m. local time on County Line Road in Trilla, Illinois, about three miles south of Mattoon in Coles County, according to Illinois State Police and the Coles County Sheriff’s Office. Trilla is about 200 miles south of Chicago.

The National Transportation Safety Board said a Cessna 180 single-engine plane struck powerlines and crashed into a field. The Coles County Coroner said the two men and two women aboard the plane were killed in the crash. Their names have not been released while authorities work to contact their families.

Some remnants of the plane ended up on County Line Road after the crash. The Coles County Sheriff’s office said the road would remain closed at least until Sunday while the FAA and NTSB investigate.

Kynnedi Goldstein heard the crash.

“I was sitting in my room, and I was getting ready to turn a show on, and all of a sudden I hear this noise. It’s like the whole ‘boom,’ and then our power went out for a second, and then our generator kicked on. And I was just like, ‘What?’ So then I go out to our sunroom, and I look, and there’s a huge pile of smoke. So I called my friend, and then we went down to the scene,” she told CBS News Chicago.

In a statement posted to social media Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said that his “administration is monitoring the situation as we keep those impacted by the plane crash in our thoughts today. Thank you to the first responders who rushed to the scene. Please follow the guidance of officials as they provide assistance.”

The Federal Aviation Administration and NTSB will conduct an investigation into the crash. The NTSB said an investigator is expected to arrive on the scene on Sunday to document the scene and examine the plane. 

The plane will then be hauled to a secure facility for further evaluation.

The NTSB said a preliminary report on its investigation will be released within 30 days.

This is a developing story. CBS News Chicago will continue to update. 

Marissa Sulek

Marissa Sulek joined CBS News Chicago in January 2025. Before Chicago, Marissa was a general assignment reporter in Nashville at WSMV, where she was nominated for Mid-South Emmy Awards for her reporting on the deadly flooding in rural Waverly.