UPDATE: Elderly Pilot Identified in Plane Crash
Washington County, NE - Late Thursday night, Blair police identified the pilot who died in a plane crash. They say it's 92-year-old Robert Harrick of Nickerson, Neb.
The crash happened late Thursday afternoon on the back property of the Woodhouse Ford Dealership on Highway 30.
Witnesses say the plane appeared to hit power lines before it took a nose dive. Jacque Belles told KMTV Action 3 News there was a blue explosion as the plane went down. "We thought maybe it was lightning, but it wasn't raining out," she said. "Then we thought it was a big spot light from Blair Auto. That wasn't it."
Authorities say when the plane crashed, it hit several parked cars on the Woodhouse lot. "There is some debris that is spread out over a considerable distance," said Blair police lieutenant Aaron Barrow.
The small plane went down on what locals call "Truck Mountain." Investigators now have to comb through the debris to figure out what went wrong when Harrick was in the air.
"Too close for comfort," said Belles. "I feel bad for the pilot and what might have happened to him."
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