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James F. Edwards III, 41, of Marshfield, and his sons, James F. Edwards IV and Joshua J. Edwards, were killed late on Nov. 22, 2008, when their single-engine plane crashed into the backyard of a Marshfield home near the runway.

The Piper PA-46-500TP Malibu Meridian was returning from the Green Bay area when it went down about 11:10 p.m., roughly a half-mile north-northwest of Marshfield Municipal Airport as it approached to land, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. All three people aboard were killed.

The Marshfield News Herald identified Edwards as the owner of Thomas Electric Service, a Marshfield alderman and president of the Green Bay Gamblers Youth Hockey Association. He frequently flew his children to hockey, and the family was returning home when the plane came down.

The plane hit the backyard of a house on the edge of the airport, punched a hole in the roof and damaged a deck before it caught fire, the NTSB said. The family inside was not hurt and left to stay with relatives, according to news reports. Several callers reported the crash to 911, describing a plane down and the fire that followed.

Witnesses told investigators the plane appeared to be making a normal approach when it rolled sharply to the left, dropped its nose and descended behind a church, followed by a flash from the explosion.

In its final report, released in November 2009, the NTSB blamed the crash on the pilot's failure to keep control of the plane on final approach at night, for reasons it could not determine. Investigators found no sign of any mechanical failure.

The report also found that Edwards had obtained his commercial and instrument pilot ratings by claiming thousands of hours of U.S. Navy flying experience, including time in F-14 and T-44 aircraft. A Navy records search turned up nothing on him, and his wife and father told investigators he had never served in the military. The report noted he had a history of back pain and was taking a medication that commonly causes impairment, though investigators could not say whether it played a role. Radar and weather data showed he had climbed through a cloud layer without the required air traffic control clearance and was flying without a flight plan.