Four people killed on New Year's Eve after their plane crashes in Illinois field

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Pilot Curt Terpstra, 34, was flying three friends when his plane crashed Saturday
Jordan Linder, 35, posted photos of lighting on Snapchat minutes before crash
His sister Jasmine Linder, 26, and friend Krista Green, 35, also died
They crashed outside Vienna, Illinois at around 5:30pm
An investigation into the reasons for the apparent accident is ongoing

Published: 23:40 EST, 2 January 2017 | Updated: 02:20 EST, 3 January 2017

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Four people were killed on New Year's Eve after the plane they were flying in crashed - just minutes after one of them posted photos of the lightning they were flying through on Snaptchat.

The dead were named on Monday as pilot Curt Terpstra, 34; Krista Green, 35; Jordan Linder, 35; and his sister Jasmine Linder, 26. All were from Iowa, and died when the plane landed in a field outside Vienna, Illinois at around 5:30pm Saturday.

Amber Linder, sister-in-law of Jasmine and Jordan Linder, told KWWL: 'Jordan's Snapchat was probably like ten minutes before the accident and the caption was "Ran into bad weather" and it was black and all you could see was lightning strikes.'

Killed: Pilot Curt Terpstra (right, with pal Dustin Beiden) was one of three who died in a plane crash in Illinois on New Year's Eve. His father said he was an excellent pilot

Slain: Siblings Jasmine and Jordan Linder also died. Jordan posted photos of lightning on Snapchat just ten minutes before the crash with the message 'Ran into bad weather'

Curt's father, Michael, told Oskaloosa that he was 'in shock' over his son's death. He said his son was an 'excellent' pilot and that a sudden onset of bad weather may have caused the crash.

He said another family member had received pictures on social media showing a sudden change in weather.

'They had taken some photos earlier [in the flight]; there were clouds and it was clear,' he said.

'All the sudden they were sending pictures of a storm they were in.'

Photos show the plane's wreckage - little more than a crumpled ball of metal - being taken from the scene by authorities Saturday.

Crumpled: The crumpled body of the plane was towed away by authorities. A fourth person, Krista Green, was also killed in the apparent accident. An investigation continues

The National Transportation Safety Board and the Johnson County Sheriff's Office took the remains of the Piper PA28 aircraft to Nashville to be studied, according to WPSD Local 6.

'The three main things we will look at is the plane, which includes its weight-bearing capabilities; the pilot; and weather occurring at the time of the crash,' NTSB lead investigator Ed Malinowski told WPSD on Saturday.

The plane is believed to have crashed at around 5:30pm, although authorities were not alerted until 5:45pm.

A toxicology test is being performed, Johnson County Coroner David G Rockwell told Oskaloosa, but it will take six-to-eight weeks for the results to come back.

Amber Linder said Jasmine and Jordan two would be sorely missed.

Jasmine was a close friend, she said: 'We just became best friends and I mean she was just adventurous, and outgoing and giving and she was just beautiful inside and out.'

And Jordan was a real character, she added. 'He was a salesman so any room he walked into you knew he was there,' she said.

Terpstra, of Pella, Iowa, co-owned agricultural business Terpstra Masonry in Pella with his brother, Chip.

His sister-in-law, Lauren Terpstra, told WPSD Local 6 that he would be missed. 'He was an amazing man who loved and lived life to the fullest,' she said.

Johnson County is about 130 miles southeast of St Louis, near the Shawnee National Forest.