Man killed in ultralight aircraft crash was scattering his father's ashes in Minnesota, officials say
A man who died in a plane crash this week in Minnesota was scattering his father's ashes, law enforcement officials said. KLAS-TV reported that deputies who responded to the scene learned that the passenger in the plane, Lee Cemensky, 58, was scattering his father's ashes.
Cemensky and the pilot, identified the victims as 61-year-old Douglas Johnson, were killed when the amphibious ultralight aircraft they were riding in crashed in north central Minnesota, according to the Crow Wing County sheriff officials.
Both died at the scene of the crash Sunday in some woods northwest of Emily.
Johnson operated the business Fly the Swan. It's website said a ride on the amphibious ultralight gives a customer a bird's eye view of the lakes and land and the experience of touching down on the water.
The Federal Aviation Administration said the 2010 Cygnet aircraft crashed under "unknown circumstances' while attempting to land.
The sheriff's office was called shortly before 7 p.m. and notified the aircraft had taken off but had failed to reach its destination. Emergency responders located the crash scene about 8:30 p.m.
Cemensky was a longtime Las Vegas resident, KLAS-TV reported, but he sold his business in February to return to Fifty Lakes, Minnesota.
Cemensky's father, Leo John Cemensky, died at his home in Fifty Lakes on August 7, according to an online obituary from Koop Funeral Home.