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Las Vegas Man Killed in Plane Crash While Reportedly Scattering Father's Ashes in Minnesota

Seaplane taking off on top of a lake.
Seaplane taking off on top of a lake.

Getty Seaplane taking off on top of a lake

A Las Vegas man who died in a small airplane crash in Minnesota was reportedly scattering his father's ashes at the time.

Lee Cemensky, 58, was riding with pilot Douglas Johnson, 61, of Emily, Minn., on Sunday when their aircraft crashed in a wooded area near Minnie Lake Drive, according to a press release from the Crow Wing County Sheriff's Office.

The two victims were found just after 8:30 p.m. local time, less than two hours after the CWCSO were informed that "a plane had taken off but had not arrived at its destination," per the release.

CWCSO Lieutenant Craig Katzenberger said deputies on-scene later learned that Cemensky was scattering his father's ashes, reported CBS affiliate KLAS-TV. His father, Leo John Cemensky, died at his home in Fifty Lakes on Aug. 7 at age 80, according to an obituary from the Koop Funeral Home.

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Lee was described as a "good guy," according to Joseph Hunter, the current manager of Brakes Plus, who purchased the business from Lee back in February, reported KLAS-TV.

Cemensky and Johnson were flying in a single-engine Krucker Cygnet ultralight trike, the Federal Aviation Administration, which is investigating alongside the National Transportation Safety Board, said in a press release obtained by PEOPLE.

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A CWCSO investigation into the incident is ongoing, per the office's press release.

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Johnson operated a business known as "Fly the Swan," which took passengers into the air in what the company's website describes as a special light sport aircraft.

"Your experience on FlyTheSwan enables a bird's eye view of the lakes and the land you love along with the exhilaration of taking off from and gently touching down on the water," reads a message on the company's website.

The company described the flying experience as "exciting, exhilarating, sublime, and awe inspiring," according to its website. Flights ranged from $50 for 10 minutes in the air to $95 for a 30-minute ride.

Flights would only take place "when the winds are 8 mph or less and no rain is imminent," per the site.

PEOPLE's attempts to reach the company were unsuccessful.