Three people died after a small plane crashed into a Nebraska river, killing everybody on board.
The aircraft had been flying along the Platte River, south of Fremont, when it crashed into the water just after 8 pm local time on Friday evening.
Footage taken at the scene shows rescue vessels scouring the pitch black river following the incident.
The Dodge County Sheriff’s Office later confirmed the remains of the flight’s three occupants had been recovered and confirmed they had all passed.
In a statement, authorities said: ‘A small plane was traveling along the Platte River south of Fremont when it crashed into the river.
‘The three occupants of the plane have been recovered and are confirmed deceased. Those identities will not be released at this time pending next of kin notification.
‘The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board will take over the investigation at this point.’
The crash is the latest in a string of horrific aviation disasters to hit the country since the start of the year.
The aircraft had been flying along the Platte River, south of Fremont, when in crashed into the water just after 8pm local time on Friday evening
The local sheriff’s office later confirmed that the three occupants of the flight had been recovered and confirmed they had all passed
Just last week, a helicopter over New York City crashed into the Hudson River killing a family of five including three young children.
The sightseeing chopper plunged into the waters killing Agustin Escobar, Siemens exec from Spain, his wife Merce and their three kids, along with a 36-year-old pilot.
The family had just arrived from Barcelona and embarked on their first day touring the Big Apple.
They had been taking a scenic trip around the Statue of Liberty and up to the George Washington Bridge.
Experts believe the crash likely occurred because the main rotor blades separated from the aircraft, slicing the tail.
The aircraft was operated by New York Helicopter, a local tour company. The chopper appeared to be a N216MH – a Bell 206L-4, according to Flight Radar.
Heartbreaking photos showed the Escobar parents and their kids, aged four, five and 11, posing on the helipad and inside the aircraft before the crash.
The helicopter flew for approximately 16 minutes before going down into the water. It took off from the Wall Street Heliport and did a circle near the Statue of Liberty before flying up the Hudson River to the George Washington Bridge at about 1000 feet.
Agustín Escobar, a Siemens executive from Spain, his wife Merce Camprubi Montal and their three children, aged four, five and 11, took photos just before the crash
Dramatic video showed the helicopter sinking into the water as emergency crews rushed to the scene.
Witnesses said they saw the chopper ‘split in half’ before it went down near Pier 40, with one man reporting the stricken aircraft making what sounded like a ‘sonic boom.’
‘Oh my God. Oh my gosh. Oh my goodness. Oh my gosh,’ said a terrified witness who watched the helicopter fall into the river.
The horrific incident came after an American Airlines jet collided with a army helicopter in January, killing 67 people.
Just days after that, a twin-engine jet plummeted to the ground and exploded in a large fireball in Pennsylvania, killing all six people onboard.
Less than a month later, on February 17, a Delta passenger plane crashed-landed upside down in chaotic scenes at Toronto Pearson International Airport in Canada.
Miraculously, everyone on board survived after being suspended upside-down by their seatbelts for several minutes until they tentatively began evacuating.