Fog May Have Been A Factor

Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board are heading to the scene of a fatal small plane accident in a suburb west of Omaha, NE. The wreckage of a Piper PA-28 Cherokee was discovered Thursday morning in a sod field about five miles southeast of the Millard Airport (MLE).

Three people onboard the small plane died in the accident, according to local authorities.

No one is certain when the aircraft took off from the suburban airport, according to La Vista Police Lt. Kevin Pokorny, except only it was sometime between 11:30 Wednesday night and 6 a.m. Thursday morning. The accident was reported just before 10 a.m. Thursday.

The aircraft impacted the ground approximately 250 yards from a busy intersection.

Police identified the victims through drivers licenses as George Greening, 45, Julie Greening, 42, and Pamela Britt, 48. La Vista police chief Bob Lausten said the victims frequently travelled to Omaha from their homes in Abilene, KS to go dancing.

Weather appears to have been a factor in the accident, as the Omaha area has been enveloped in fog for the past few days. A dense fog layer hung over the accident scene this morning, according to the Omaha World-Herald.

Don Hughes, manager of the Omaha Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON), said his crews have checked radar records back to 2 a.m. Thursday morning and found no sign of the Piper -- which may mean the aircraft never climbed higher than 1,200 feet MSL (about 200 ft. AGL) before it went down.

If the pilot kept the plane below that altitude, said Hughes, the plane wouldn't show up on radar.

No witnesses to the accident have come forward, according to Lt. Pokorny. An FAA spokesperson stated no record of a flight plan had been located.

The four-passenger Cherokee (file photo of type, above) was registered to Aerolease of America in Carson City, NV, according to the World-Herald. An Aerolease employee told the paper the aircraft had been leased to George Greening.

David Silchman, owner of Nebraska Flight Center at the North Omaha Airport (3NO), said he was surprised anyone would be flying in the thick fog.

"Nobody should be flying in this type of weather," he said.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov