Heartbroken son dies in plane crash while scattering his father's ashes from 'HOMEMADE' aircraft
EMILY, MINNESOTA: A grieving son reportedly died in a plane crash alongside a pilot during a memorial flight on Sunday, August 28, while scattering his father's ashes from an amphibious "homemade" aircraft.
Law enforcement revealed how 58-year-old Lee Cemensky was a Las Vegas resident before he sold his 'Brakes Plus' auto repair business in February to return to his native Fifty Lakes, Minnesota. Cemensky was flown by pilot Douglas A Johnson, who was operating the amphibious aircraft known as "the swan" that catered to tourists and sightseeing in the community of Emily, Minnesota before the tragedy.
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Authorities responded to a rural area just outside Emily, which is located roughly 150 miles north of Minneapolis on Sunday evening after the plane didn't arrive at its scheduled destination. Emergency crews found the plane in a wooded area roughly two hours later. Both Cemensky and Johnson, 61, were found dead at the crash site. Responding deputies from the Crow Wing County Sheriff’s Office learned Sunday night that Cemensky had been scattering his father's ashes, according to Lt Craig Katzenberger. He said the aircraft Cemensky and Johnson had been in was described as “homemade" and that the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are probing the crash. Katzenberger added that the sheriff’s office investigation was still underway at the time of publication.
As mentioned, the Swan had been used for tourists and sightseeing in Emily, Minnesota. According to an obituary from Koop Funeral Home Cemensky’s father, Leo John Cemensky, died at his home in Fifty Lakes on August 7. He is survived by his wife Vikki; a son and daughter, four grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren. Joseph Hunter, who currently manages the Brakes Plus shop, said he bought the business from Lee Cemensky on February 28. Hunter recalled meeting him as the business changed hands and described him as a “good guy … good to all his customers.” He said Cemensky owned the shop for 20 to 25 years before parting with it, KTLA reported.
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MEAWW reported on another double tragedy earlier this month, after an 80-year-old woman drowned while attempting to rescue her husband who had gone into cardiac arrest in the pool of their vacation home in the south of France. Diana Shamash dove into the pool, while still wearing her clothes, in an attempt to help her 82-year-old estate billionaire husband, David. Suspicions were raised by their neighbors, who were supposed to join the British pair for supper. When the neighbors rang the doorbell and nobody answered it, they entered the house and found the elderly couple's bodies floating in the swimming pool.
Sources told the Daily Mail that the poolhouse, which was located near the busy town of Gignac, was situated in a secluded area. This meant Diana's screams for help would not have been heard. "What we do now know is that Mrs. Shamash was fully clothed and wearing her shoes when she jumped into the pool to save her husband after he suffered a suspected heart attack. She undoubtedly found it very difficult to float in these circumstances and sank in the water," a source with knowledge told the publication, adding that no signs of foul play were found at the site of the tragedy. One line of investigation is to ascertain if the water was preheated because cold water is known to be deadly on warmer days.