Pilot dies after small aircraft crashes in northwestern Minnesota

July 12, 2019 at 12:45AM

The pilot of an ultralight aircraft was killed Thursday afternoon when it crashed at the airport in Hawley, Minn.

Clay County Sheriff Mark Empting said emergency personnel were dispatched to the scene of the crash at 12:22 p.m. He said a bystander had pulled the pilot from the burning wreckage but the pilot did not survive. The bystander was treated at the scene for burns and released, Empting said.

The Federal Aviation Administration was at the scene investigating, and the National Transportation Safety Board has been notified, he said.

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about the writer

Dan Browning

Reporter

Dan Browning has worked as a reporter and editor since 1982. He joined the Star Tribune in 1998 and now covers greater Minnesota. His expertise includes investigative reporting, public records, data analysis and legal affairs.

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The pilot was the only person inside the plane, and was not injured in the emergency landing, according to the State Patrol.