On Friday, April 18, a small plane crashed into a Nebraska river in yet-unknown circumstances. Upon recovery efforts, all three people aboard were confirmed dead.
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According to a Dodge County Sheriff's Office
release, the incident occurred on April 18 at around 8:15 p.m. At the time, the small aircraft was traveling alongside the Platte River, located south of Fremont, Nebraska. Suddenly, the plane went down, claiming the lives of all the people aboard.As per Dodge County Sheriff's Office
Sergeant Brie Frank, the sheriff's office found out about the crash after receiving a report from an individual who saw the plane go down.As confirmed by the sheriff's office, the victims were identified as Daniel Williams of Moundridge, Kansas, 43, Jeff Bittinger from Fremont, Nebraska, 50, and Randy Amrein from Fremont, Nebraska, 48.
"The Dodge County Sheriff's Office offers our deepest condolences to the family of the victims and the Dodge County Community," the release read.
Crash Investigation
Currently, there is no information regarding the cause of the Nebraska plane crash. The investigation will be carried out by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
"Once on site, the investigator will begin the process of documenting the scene and examining the aircraft," an NTSB investigator told The Associated Press. "The aircraft will then be recovered to a secure facility for further evaluation." The investigator added, as per NBC News, that the NTSB does not "determine or speculate about the cause of the accident." However, a preliminary report will be ready within 30 days.
As part of the search, Sergeant Brie Frank confirmed that multiple agencies were involved. These include the Fremont Police Department, Fremont Fire, and Fremont World Fire Department. Authorities also used drones to search the area where the plane went down.
Footage shared by the AP shows emergency service workers at the crash site. Furthermore, they are shown attempting to recover the wreckage as well as surveying the area.
While not confirmed to be related, Fox Weather reported "severe thunderstorms" present in the Nebraska city on April 17. The night before the crash, these thunderstorms damaged buildings and cars in the area.
