PARKERS PRAIRIE, Minn. - One person is dead after a small plane crashed in a rural area near here Wednesday evening.
Spokesman Tony Molinaro, of the Federal Aviation Administration Great Lakes Region, which is based in Chicago, said the plane went down about five miles north of Parkers Prairie.
According to the Otter Tail County Sheriff's Office, the property owner at 59196 County Highway 40 reported hearing a loud noise associated with the crash around 6:30 p.m. Wednesday.
The homeowner found the badly damaged single-engine propeller plane on his property.
The pilot, whose identity has not yet been released but who authorities say is a man from Minnesota, was the only person on board.
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The pilot suffered extensive trauma and did not survive the impact, according to a news release from the sheriff's office.
Molinaro said the plane is believed to have crashed near a group of trees, and there was no fire associated with the crash.
Brad Hopkins, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Grand Forks, said weather was likely not a factor in the crash.
"Conditions were pretty good. There was no wind; visibility was unrestricted," Hopkins said. "Basically just some high clouds - nothing that would restrict any visibility for the pilot."
The temperature was around 12 degrees.
The incident is under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA.
