UPDATE: Pilot dies following gyrocopter crash in Minnesota River near St. Peter
Authorities arrived at the Minnesota River after reports of an aircraft crashing into the water.
Authorities say a pilot has died after his aircraft crashed into the Minnesota River near Saint Peter Sunday just before 4 p.m.
Crews were called to the Minnesota River by St. Peter after reports of an aircraft crashing into the water.
The pilot, identified as 66-year-old Loren David Jones of Prior Lake, was airlifted to St. Mary’s Hospital in Rochester where he later died.
Le Sueur County Sheriff’s Office says that Jones’s GyroGT-VX2 Rotary Aircraft hit a power line over the river, which authorities believe contributed to the crash.
The National Transportation Safety Board is involved in the ongoing investigation according to the sheriff’s office.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE: Crews pulled an aircraft out of the Minnesota River in St. Peter Sunday afternoon.
Just before 4 p.m. on Sunday, authorities were called to the Minnesota River on the border of Nicollet and Le Sueur county, after reports of an aircraft crashing into the water.
Traffic was controlled at the bridge between the two counties, and the shorelines were secured- all while the aircraft was located and brought to shore.
At around 5:30 p.m., crews pulled what appeared to be a gyrocopter out of the water at the boat landing at Riverside Park.
By that time, it appeared as though the pilot of the craft had already been transported elsewhere.
The Le Sueur County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that there were injuries associated with this incident, but declined to provide any further information.
Multiple agencies are investigating this incident, including the Le Sueur County Sheriff’s Office, the Nicollet County Sheriff’s Office and the FAA.
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