Western Nebraska Community College and its board have reached a settlement with the estate of a Chinese student who was killed in an aviation program accident last year at the school’s Sidney campus.
      24-year-old Zhaoxin Chen of Xi’an, China, and 21-year old 21-year-old Yemin An of Seoul, South Korea, died of injuries suffered while they were working on an airplane engine at the WNCC Aviation Maintenance training facility April 1, 2021.
According to Attorney Phil Kelly, Chen’s estate received $700,000 from the college’s insurance company plus $10,000 paid by WNCC for expenses. The status of the claim filed by An’s estate isn’t known.
Both Chen and An were sophomores. A memorial fund for other WNCC Aviation students was established in their names after the accident.