A small plane's engine failed before the aircraft crashed in a central Minnesota farm field, leaving the pilot with "significant injuries," authorities said.
The wreck occurred about 2:45 p.m. Saturday a half-mile southwest of the Paynesville Airport, according to the Stearns County Sheriff's Office.
Police arrived and discovered Michael Jude, 71, of St. Cloud, standing outside his plane, an experimental, amateur-built model.
"Jude received significant injuries," the Sheriff's Office said in a statement. Jude was first taken to a hospital in Paynesville and then to St. Cloud Hospital for further treatment.
Jude told authorities he had left the Clear Lake Airport for the 50-mile trip west to the airport in Paynesville "but aborted the landing and was coming back around to land when he experienced engine failure and attempted to land in a corn stubble field … southwest of the end of the runway," the Sheriff's Office statement said.
The plane's wings and landing gear were damaged in the impact. The aircraft was amateur-built in 2009.
