Update: Five People Killed in Small Plane Crash Near Willard

Updated at 4:10 p.m.
Original copy 7:36 a.m.

WILLARD, Mo. -- A small plane crashed north of Willard overnight, killing all five people on board.

Missouri State Highway Patrol spokesman Sgt. Jason Pace says the plane crashed just after midnight Saturday in a field near the intersection of State Highway 123 and Farm Road 81. 

The Patrol has identified the victims as John M. Lambert, 44, of Springfield; Grayson Lambert, 16; McKinley Lambert, 15; Joshua Lambert, 10; and Robin E. Melton, 46, of Ozark.

According to the Associated Press, Lambert owned Missouri Insulation & Supply Inc., while Melton owned an environmental consulting firm called Environmental Works Inc.

               

A family friend told KOLR10 the group was flying back from a Kansas City Royals baseball game.

Late Saturday, a Facebook memorial page had been set up.

Sgt. Pace confirms all five people died when the 2002 Cirrus SR22 went down. It may have been en route to the Springfield-Branson National Airport, which is just about five miles away.

Emergency crews worked through the night illuminating the field with floodlights. Large tarps now cover the debris.

Dozens of cones now mark the pieces of the plane.

Cindy Farmer and her husband own that piece of land. She says she heard the engine of the low-flying plane and knew something wasn't right.

Farmer said she heard the plane coming in from the north and got up to look out her window because she thought the plane was flying too low and it didn't sound normal. She said she heard the plane crash describing the sound of the crash as a sonic boom, shaking her home. She immediately called 911.

Cindy said her husband, Andy jumped in their truck to search for survivors. They said the entire plane was consumed in flames and it was as high as the silo nearby.

"We couldn't get to close to it. It went up so quickly. I mean, it was consumed. There was nothing left. We saw two wheels and not much else."

They still hoped desperately to help the Lambert family that friends say were flying home from a Kansas City Royals baseball game.

"When we saw it we knew that probably somebody wouldn't be alive," said Cindy Farmer.

Minutes later emergency crews arrived and continued the search for survivors.

Andy Farmer says the fire was so large the only parts of the plane he saw were two wheels lying.

"They were all looking for survivors. We were trying to find anyone who needed help. We had flashlights going all over the field. They were 50 to 100 yards away from the plane," said Andy Farmer.

Friends and family of the victims have been posting memories and heart felt comments on social media sites all day.

Crews from the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Greene County Sheriffs Department and Willard Fire Protection responded to the call.

The plane was about five miles away from the Springfield-Branson Airport.

Community members have made a memorial Facebook page and can be found at http://www.facebook.com/RipGraysonLambert

The Patrol says the National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration have taken over the investigation to try to determine what caused the crash and what the circumstances were leading up to the incident. The Missouri State Highway Patrol will be securing the scene tonight until the investigation continues Sunday morning.