CEN25FA157

On April 18, 2025, about 2011 central daylight time, a Cessna 180, N2908C, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Fremont, Nebraska. The pilot and two passengers were fatally injured. The flight was conducted as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The flight arrived at the Fremont Municipal Airport (FET), Fremont, Nebraska, from Moundridge, Kansas, and friends had come to the airport to pick up the pilot and his wife. After arriving, the pilot and friends decided to take a quick flight, and the pilot’s wife waited at the airport. The pilot’s wife told him not to fly the river because it was getting too dark. About 2005, the airplane departed FET, and about 2008, one of the passengers texted a friend who lived on the river that they were flying up the river. About 2010, the other passenger sent a Snapchat to his son, and about minute later, the accident occurred. A witness recalled that motion caught her eye, and she turned her head in time to see an airplane flying low and to the west up the river. She observed the airplane collide with the high-tension powerlines over the river. She saw part of the tail of the airplane separate from the plane and fall into the river. The airplane then slowly climbed and at first appeared to be flying away without issue. The airplane then turned and descended suddenly until it crashed into the river with a large splash. Another witness recorded video of the airplane making the turn and descent into the water. The airplane engine could be heard running in the video.