Authorities say three people were killed in the crash of a plane near Chadron Sunday night.
Dawes County Attorney Vance Haug said in a release that “at approximately 7:30 p.m. on the evening of November 21, Chadron dispatch received several calls reporting a “fireball” or “explosion” seen by witnesses outside of town.
“The Chadron Volunteer Fire Department, Dawes County Sheriff’s Office and Search and Rescue personnel were then dispatched to a rural area near the Chadron Municipal Airport to address reports of a grass fire.
“The fire was extinguished. The FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) were contacted. The Dawes County Attorney/Coroner was then contacted and dispatched to the scene.
“When first responders arrived on scene, it was determined that a small aircraft had gone down, causing a grass fire and killing the pilot as well as two passengers on board.”
According to the FAA Accident and Incident Notification database, the plane involved was a Cessna 310 that crashed shortly after take-off under unknown circumstances.
Haug says further details will be released pending further investigation and family notifications.
