Investigators are looking for the cause of a plane crash that killed the pilot near Imperial in western Nebraska.

The Imperial Republican newspaper says firefighters believe the single-engine plane crashed Saturday morning in a pasture.

Authorities say 54-year-old Scot German, a farmer and rancher from Imperial, died in the accident.

The wreckage was discovered by the Imperial volunteer fire department, which was called to fight a grass fire. Officials say the plane burst into flames and started the grass fire.

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