A pilot who provided pleasure flights over Minnesota lakes and his passenger were killed in the crash of an amphibious aircraft in northern Minnesota, officials said.
Plane crash kills pilot, passenger during pleasure ride in Crow Wing County
The passenger was a visitor from Las Vegas, officials said.
August 29, 2022 at 5:43PM
The wreck occurred Sunday in the woods about 9 miles northwest of Emily, the Crow Wing County Sheriff's Office said.
The Sheriff's Office identified the pilot as Douglas A. Johnson, 61, whose home on Minnie Lake Drive is near where the ultralight aircraft went down. His passenger was 58-year-old Lee Cemensky of Las Vegas. The Sheriff's Office said both men died at the scene.
At the time of his death, Johnson operated Fly the Swan. The website for the business said that a ride in the amphibious ultralight "enables a bird's eye view of the lakes and the land you love along with the exhilaration of taking off from and gently touching down on the water."
The Federal Aviation Administration said in an initial incident report that the 2010 Krucker Cygnet aircraft, made by Florida-based Sea and Sky, crashed under unknown circumstances while attempting to land.
The Sheriff's Office was notified about 6:45 p.m. that the aircraft had taken off but failed to reach its destination. Deputies and personnel from other emergency agencies searched and found the aircraft about 8:35 p.m.
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