Plane lands on central Minnesota highway after engine fails

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

The Minnesota Star Tribune
September 30, 2024 at 11:17PM
A small plane made an emergency landing on a highway north of St. Cloud on Monday, with initial reports finding that the plane's engine failed, the Minnesota State Patrol said.

A pilot landed a plane on a highway north of St. Cloud on Monday afternoon after the engine failed, according to the Minnesota State Patrol.

The State Patrol responded to the emergency landing around 1:30 p.m., when the small private plane touched down on Hwy. 27 between Little Falls and Pierz in Morrison County, Sgt. Jesse Grabow said in a social media post.

An initial report found that the engine failed and that the pilot, the lone occupant, decided to land it on the highway, Grabow said. Once the airplane landed, the pilot steered it into a ditch to avoid traffic, Grabow said. A photo posted by Grabow showed the right wing sustained some damage, and that it came to a stop in a grassy area.

There were no injuries and the incident remains under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration.

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Louis Krauss

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Louis Krauss is a general assignment reporter for the Star Tribune.

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