By Kalin Krohe, Panhandle Post
At approximately 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 21, Chadron dispatch received several calls reporting a "fireball" or "explosion" seen by witnesses outside of town.
The Chadron Volunteer Fire Department, Dawes County Sheriff's Office and Search and Rescue personnel were then dispatched to a rural area near the Chadron Municipal Airport to address reports of a grass fire.
"When first responders arrived on scene, it was determined that a small aircraft had gone down, causing a grass fire," Dawes County Attorney/Coroner Vance Haug said.
The plane crash killed the pilot and two passengers.
A spokesman says the six-passenger plane took off from Chadron Municipal Airport and crashed about a mile and a half away.
The grass fire was extinguished.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) were contacted to investigate the crash.
"Further details will be released pending investigation and family notifications," Haug said.