3 bodies recovered from Platte River after private aircraft crash
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All three passengers died when a Cessna 180 Skywagon similar to the one pictured crashed in the Platte River near Fremont, Neb., on Friday night. (Photo Credit: James/Wikimedia Commons)
April 19 (UPI) -- The bodies of the pilot and two passengers were recovered from the Platte River in Nebraska following a private airplane crash Friday evening.
A privately owned single-engine Cessna 180 Skywagon aircraft crashed into the Platte River at 8:45 p.m. MDT Friday night near Fremont, Neb., the Federal Aviation Administration announced.
Fremont is located about 40 miles northwest of Omaha in eastern Nebraska.
Three were aboard the aircraft when it crashed for unknown reasons on Friday night, and the National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the matter.
The airplane's pilot was flying along the Platte River when it crashed and killed Daniel Williams, 43, of Moundridge, Kan., and Fremont residents Jeff Bittinger, 50, and Randy Amrein, 48, the Dodge County (Neb.) Sheriff's Office announced in a press release posted on Facebook.
First responders from a dozen area organizations, plus citizens equipped with airboats, responded to the crash site to assist with recovery efforts.
A NTSB investigator initiated an investigation after arriving at the crash site on Saturday afternoon, ABC News reported.
Officials at the Dodge County Sheriff's Office are asking people to avoid the crash site until further notice while the investigation is underway.
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