A small private plane crashed near Moorhead on Sunday night, Clay County officials said. News media on the scene were reporting that the pilot died, but law enforcement said it could not confirm the pilot's condition.

A man was flying a vintage-era plane when it went down about 6 p.m. Sunday, said Sgt. Josh Schroeder of the Clay County Sheriff's Office. The man was the plane's lone occupant.

The plane crashed in a cornfield west of Moorhead, Minn., on the south side of Interstate 94. The highway was busy at the time and motorists watched it happen, Schroeder said.

The plane's location made the rescue operation harder, Schroeder said.

Erin Adler • 612-673-1781