A 50-year-old Omaha pilot walked away from a small plane crash Sunday in Cass County. Sheriff William Brueggemann says that they were notified earlier in the day of a missing plane by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center. Deputies were unable to locate the missing plane at that time until the pilot called 9-1-1 from a residence near the Missouri River where his plane had crashed. Cass County Deputies, Nehawka Fire & Rescue, and Cass County Paramedics responded to the location.
Upon arrival the pilot, Eric J. Stadjuhar and the plane were located. Stadjuhar advised that his 1963 Smith Miniplane had experienced engine trouble prior to crashing into the trees on a bluff. Stadjuhar sustained facial and possible back injuries in the crash and was transported by Nehawka Rescue to Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. Stadjuhar was alone in his plane at the time of the crash. The incident is being investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration.
