A Knox County native was killed when the plane he was piloting crashed near Crofton on Monday morning.
It was one of two small planes to crash in Northeast Nebraska that day, according to a press release from the Nebraska State Patrol. The other occurred in Wayne County.
The first crash, located southwest of Crofton, was reported at approximately 9:30 a.m. The deceased pilot was later identified as Joseph Rudloff, 73, of Norfolk. A 1969 graduate of Verdigre High School, Rudloff was the lone occupant in the plane and was pronounced dead at the accident scene, said Cody Thomas, public relations director for the NSP.
Wreckage from his Rans S-19 airplane was discovered in a bean field farmed by Larry Thunker. The property is owned by Clarence and LaNeda Kuehler of rural Crofton.
The majority of the debris appears to be within 100 yards from the base of a wind tower at the Crofton Bluffs Wind Farm; however, there is no apparent damage to the tower itself.
“I believe somebody from the wind towers called to say they came across the wreckage and then we dispatched out Crofton Rescue right away,” Knox County Sheriff Don Henery said.
TwoKnoxCountydeputiesandTroopersfrom the Nebraska State Patrol also responded to the crash site. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are working to determine the cause of the plane crash.
The sheriff said his deputies were on the scene for several hours that morning and returned to the office about noon.
“In my opinion, it was another excellent example of agencies working together — local, state and federal,” Sheriff Henery said.
On Tuesday morning, an agent with the FAA told the Knox County News that an active investigation was still underway at the crash site.
The sheriff said it will likely be “a month down the road” before the agencies release anything about the cause of the accident.
“I think our call came in about 20 minutes before the Wayne one,” he said. “I’m sure the fog had a lot to do with both of them. My guys drove in thick fog most of the way there.”
A neighbor in the area said he didn’t know the crash happened until rescue crews contacted him.
“I did not hear a thing,” Dean Kleinschmit said. “All of a sudden, some first responders stopped here, and they asked me if I had some rod posts. They didn’t say what they needed them for, just that there was an accident and the guy hit pretty hard. I didn’t know whether it was a car accident or an airplane accident.”
Kleinschmit said his neighbor across the road didn’t hear anything either.
“Everybody is trying to surmise as to when it happened. Nobody seems to know,” he said. “I don’t know what direction he was coming from either. It sure looks like he just fell out of the sky.”
Neighbor LaNeda Kuehler expressed her condolences to the pilot’s family on Facebook, and also noted it could’ve been even more tragic with all of the farms in the area.
“While we are very sad for the family of the pilot and offer our prayers up for them, we are also thankful God was with him, guiding him away from a path that could have been even more devastating,” Kuehler wrote. “Had he been just a bit, a very small bit, to the east, there are five farm homes that could have conceivably been right below him. May God be with his family during this very tragic time.”
About 60 miles away, a second small plane crashed a short time later that morning. That fatal crash, involving a Piper PA-28-140, occurred northwest of Wayne. That plane was owned by a man from Elk River, Minn., according to registry information from the FAA.
The pilot in the Wayne crash was also pronounced dead at the scene; however, his identity is still being withheld pending notification of family members.
Troopers utilized drones to survey both crash scenes to assist in each investigation. Further findings will be released by the FAA and NTSB.
Funeral services for Rudloff will be held at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 3, at Brockhaus Funeral Home in Verdigre. Pastor Terry Krueger will officiate, with burial in St. Wenceslaus Catholic Cemetery in Verdigre. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the funeral home.
“Joe was an avid flyer who had been flying for nearly 30 years,” according to his obituary. “On the day of his death, his plane was enveloped by unexpected, thick fog, which led to the crash.”
Rudloff is survived by two daughters, Rochelle Rudloff and Tricia (Aaron) Peterson; two grandchildren, Sophie and Max Applegate; siblings, Denis Rudloff, Loretta (David) Hrbek, Marcie (Curt) Sikyta, Viv (Ray) Patrick, Mary (Mike) Vollbrecht, and Tom (Be) Rudloff; and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his wife of over 50 years, Gloria Mae Pavlik, who passed in 2022; his parents William and Marjorie Rudloff; and siblings, Cecil and Helen.
