WHITE BEAR LAKE, Minn. — A pilot was hospitalized after his small plane crashed off of Highway 61 in White Bear Lake on Sunday.
Troy Patterson, a patrol sergeant with the Ramsey County Sheriff's Office, said the call came in at about 11 a.m. Sunday. The small propeller plane, a classic 1950s four-seater, crashed near Highway 61 and County Road J.
"It appears from witnesses that the pilot may have been trying to take off and then circled back to the airport for some unknown reason and then crashed into a tree and then hit the ground," Patterson said.
The plane took off from Benson's Airport in White Bear Lake. Patterson said investigators do not know why the pilot turned around.
The pilot was taken to Regions Hospital with injuries that do not appear to be life threatening, according to Patterson.
Airport manager Darryl LeMire said he was up north when the crash happened, but came back when he heard.
"I just talked to his wife that he has survived and he’s got some cuts on his face and got hit pretty hard but she said he’s doing very well," he said.
LeMire said the pilot is in his 70s and has "been around aviation all his life."
"He’s flown in Alaska and Africa and he’s a very accomplished pilot," he said.
The plane was a classic 1955 Piper Tri-Pacer, according to LeMire, that's been kept at the airport for more than 60 years.