Four men killed in the crash of a twin-engine plane Friday afternoon in Lincoln County, Nebraska. Three of the men were from our area.

The Nebraska State Patrol identified the victims as Mark Bottorff, 54, Lancaster, Kan., Ken Babcock, 71, Hiawatha, Kan., Jason Drane, 39, St. Joseph, Mo., and Chris Nelsen, 53, York, Neb.

Bottorf was the owner of Bottorff Construction. Babcock was the owner, and Drane was the operations manager of Babcock Sales in Hiawatha.

The twin-engine plane piloted by Bottorff, was reported missing shortly after taking off from the North Platte airport around 3:46 p.m. on Friday, January, 11. The plane was located in a field approximately 13 miles Northeast of Maxwell.

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