(St Joseph Post – John P Tretbar)
Funeral services are scheduled starting Thursday for four men killed in an airplane crash in western Nebraska last week. The crash claimed the lives of all four men on board, including three with ties to Northeast Kansas and Northwest Missouri.
The twin-engine plane was reported missing shortly after taking off from the North Platte, Nebraska airport around 3:46 p.m. on Friday, January, 11. The plane was located in a field approximately 13 miles Northeast of Maxwell.
The investigation into what caused the crash could take months to complete. FAA Spokeswoman Elizabeth Cory says the National Transportation Safety Board is the lead investigator. When conclusions are reached, the NTSB is expected to post them on its Web site. Cory says they can take anywhere from a month to a year to reach a formal conclusion. In the meantime, neither agency will comment on the investigation.
According to an obituary posted on the Web site of the Chapel Oaks Funeral Home in Hiawatha, Kansas, a memorial service for Ken Babcock will be held Saturday, January 19 at 1 p.m. at the NorthRidge Church in Sabetha, Kansas. The service will be followed by a celebratory dinner, and internment will commence at a later date. Babcock was the owner of Babcock Sales in Hiawatha.
According to this post at the Edwards Funeral Home in Doniphan, Missouri, a Celebration of Life for Jason Drane will be held Thursday, January 17, at 6 p.m. at the Moila Country Club in St Joseph. Drane was the operations manager for Babcock Sales.
Becker Dyer-Stanton Funeral Home in Atchison offered information regarding services for Mark Bottorff, the owner of Bottorff Construction in Atchison. Visitation is scheduled Thursday, January 17 at 11am at the Heritage Conference Center in Atchison.
Metz Mortuary of York, Nebraska offered this obituary for Chris Nelson of York. A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday, January 17, at the First United Methodist Church in York. Nelson was a longtime sales Manager at Scott-Hourigan in York.
These photographs of the crash site come courtesy of the National Transportation Safety Board.