A small plane crashed into a river in Nebraska on Friday, killing all three people aboard, according to the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office.
The aircraft was flying along the Platte River just south of Fremont, Nebraska, when it went down around 8:15 p.m., authorities said. The sheriff’s office identified the victims as 43-year-old Daniel Williams of Moundridge, Kansas, 50-year-old Jeff Bittinger and 48-year-old Randy Amrein, both of Fremont, Nebraska.
Officials didn’t know where the plane originated, Sergeant Brie Frank with the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office told reporters in a briefing Friday night.
After the plane went down, nearby residents assisted authorities in their rescue and recovery efforts with airboats, the sheriff’s office said. It’s unclear what caused the aircraft to go down, and an investigation is ongoing.
The Dodge County Sheriff’s Office said investigators with the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board will take over the investigation.
