By SCOTT CARLSON
North Platte Post
CUSTER COUNTY, Neb. — Authorities in Custer County say one man is dead following a plane crash Saturday.
According to a news release from the Custer County Sheriff's Office, on March 6, at around 1:09 p.m, the Sheriff's office received a report that a plane had left the Mason City, Neb., area at around 6:30 a.m. Saturday en route for Holyoke, Colo., but was overdue.
At around 4:37 p.m., authorities received a report from the Civil Air Patrol that a small single-engine plane had crashed in a pasture approximately 7 miles southwest of Ansley, Neb.
Deputies along with the Nebraska State Patrol, Ansley Fire and Rescue, Mason City Fire and Rescue, and Broken Bow Fire and Rescue all responded to the scene.
Upon arrival, deputies reported finding the plane completely destroyed, and the pilot, identified as Keith A. Walker, 74, of Mason City, was deceased. Walker was the lone occupant of the aircraft.
The investigation into the crash has been turned over to the National Transportation Safety Board and is ongoing at this time.