Coroner: Central Illinois plane crash killed Santa Fe couple

PEORIA, Ill. (AP) — A coroner Monday identified a Santa Fe, New Mexico, couple as the two people killed when a single-engine plane crashed on a roadway in central Illinois.

Killed in the crash Saturday in the small community of Hanna City were 75-year-old pilot James Everson and 67-year-old Lisa Evanson, Peoria County Coroner Jamie Harwood said.

An initial report from the Federal Aviation Administration said the aircraft “experienced engine issues” and attempted an emergency landing on Illinois Route 116 before striking powerlines, the Peoria Journal Star reported.

The aircraft, a Mooney M20K, crashed about 12:30 p.m. Saturday.

The National Transportation Safety Board also is investigating the crash.

Hanna City is about 180 miles (290 kilometers) southwest of Chicago.