3 Metro Detroiters Killed In SE Minn. Plane Crash
CALEDONIA, Minn. (WWJ/AP) - A small plane crashed into a field in southeastern Minnesota on Friday, killing three people from Metro Detroit and critically injuring a fourth, authorities said.
The crash happened around 4:30 p.m. Friday just southeast of the Caledonia Airport. The Houston County Sheriff's Office was alerted to incident by a farmer who reported seeing a plane in a field, although he did not witness the crash.
Killed were 79-year-old Joel Garret of Troy, 49-year-old Dale Garrett of Berkley, and 50-year-old John Bergeron of Birmingham. One survivor, 61-year-old Joseph Stevens of Bloomfield, was airlifted to a hospital in La Crosse, Wis. with severe injuries. His current condition is unknown.
Houston County Airport Manager Brian Pogodzinski told The Associated Press the plane did not crash on airport property.
The airport is unmanned and has no control tower, and pilots do not have to file a flight plan with the county, Pogodzinski said, adding that the weather was good Friday.
The plane, a twin-engine Piper PA-23, was registered to an aviation company in Troy, Mich., according to a Federal Aviation Administration online registry.
Additional details were not immediately available.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash.
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