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A Cessna 180 went down into the Platte River in Fremont, Nebraska, at about 8:45 p.m. local time Friday, April 18, resulting in the deaths of all three passengers, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The Dodge County Sheriff’s Office reported that the aircraft was traveling along the river about 40 miles northwest of Omaha when it unexpectedly went down.
Recovery efforts led to the identification of the victims: Daniel Williams, age 43, from Moundridge, Kansas; Jeff Bittinger, age 50, and Randy Amrein, age 48, both from Fremont, Nebraska.
The other fatal crash also involved a Cessna 180. It happened around 10:15 a.m. local time on Saturday, April 19 in a field southeast of Coles County Memorial Airport in Mattoon, Illinois, about 140 miles west of Indianapolis, Indiana, the FAA said.
The aircraft hit power lines before crashing, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said.
All four people on board died. Their identities have not yet been released.
The FAA and NTSB are investigating both crashes.
The incidents come amid a concerning trend of aviation accidents in recent weeks.
On Thursday, April 10, a sightseeing helicopter tragically crashed into the Hudson River near New York City, resulting in the deaths of the pilot and a young family of five.
The following day, another small aircraft met a similar fate in Boca Raton, Florida, with all three passengers onboard perishing.
On Saturday, April 12, a private plane crashed while attempting a second landing in Columbia County, New York, again claiming the lives of all individuals aboard.
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