Authorities identify man killed in Wayne County plane crash

Authorities in Northeast Nebraska have identified the pilot killed in a plane crash earlier this week.

According to the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office, 79-year-old Charles Finck of Elk River, Minnesota died in a Monday, Aug. 26 crash.

The sheriff’s office says the plane crashed about seven miles north and three miles west of the city of Wayne. According to registry information, the Piper PA-28-140 that crashed near Wayne was owned by Finck.

This crash happened the same day as another plane crash in Northeast Nebraska. Authorities say 73-year-old Joseph Rudolf of Norfolk, Nebraska died in a plane crash near Crofton, Nebraska.

The Nebraska State Patrol says the crash near Crofton happened first, with the Wayne crash happening just a short time later.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board Safety Board are investigating the crashes.