Cessna 180 accident near Fremont, Nebraska, April 19, 2025
On April 19, 2025 at about 1:11 am local time, a 1954 Cessna 180, registered N2908C, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Fremont, Nebraska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 19, 2025 · about 1:11 am local time
- Place
- Fremont, Nebraska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180, built 1954 · all 180s on the register
- Registration
- N2908C · registry record · serial 30808
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record
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.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during enroute defining event
The aircraft
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
The flight
- Departed from: KFET Fremont NE at 1:05 am
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 330° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 6,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.02 inHg
- Observation at 8:15 pm from KFET, 2 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KFET 190115Z AUTO 33012KT 10SM OVC060 09/M02 A3002 RMK AO2 T00901025
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The NTSB has not released the docket for this case yet. The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), is usually released when the investigation is nearly complete, and the list here is refreshed when it appears. Check at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.