2 men unhurt in southern Minn. plane crash

Published 3:51 am Thursday, July 18, 2013

MANKATO — A pilot and his passenger are OK after their light plane crashed in southern Minnesota.

The Blue Earth County sheriff’s office contacted the pilot after hearing that the plane had crashed Tuesday.

The 26-year-old Albert Lea man said he and his 19-year-old brother had taken off from the Wells airport about 45 minutes before the crash.

The pilot says the plane’s engine began to lose power, so he tried to land on a county road but ended up putting the plane down in a corn field.

The plane flipped over. Neither man was hurt.

Authorities say the four-seat Piper Tri-Pacer appears to be a total loss.

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating.