A pilot flying a 1950s-era military airplane crashed in a cornfield near the Moorhead airport and died, authorities said Monday.

The wreck of the single-engine T-28 Trojan occurred about 6 p.m. Sunday, roughly a quarter-mile from the airport as the pilot was trying to land, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

Mark Yaggie, 41, of Breckenridge, Minn., was the only person aboard the two-seater, according to the Clay County Sheriff's Office.

Sheriff's Sgt. Josh Schroeder said the plane went down south of Interstate 94, which was busy with holiday weekend travelers.

The wreckage remained in the cornfield late Monday morning, and "it's going to take a little bit of time to get it out of there," said Lt. Mark Empting of the Sheriff's Office.

There were minor fuel leaks but no fire, Empting added.

A T-28 Trojan, similar to the one that crashed over the weekend near the Moorhead airport.

The T-28 was built by North American Aviation in the 1950s and served as a Navy trainer into the 1980s, according to the National Naval Aviation Museum.

The aircraft also was used by U.S. and South Vietnamese personnel during the Vietnam War on counterinsurgency missions, the Florida-based museum said.

Yaggie farmed east of Breckenridge, raising sugar beets, soybeans and corn, according to the farm's website.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482