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This airplane crash-landed at the Pipestone Municipal Airport on Sunday afternoon, July 20. The pilot sustained no serious injuries. Photo by Kyle Kuphal
No one was seriously injured when an airplane left the runway at the Pipestone Municipal Airport and crashed in a cornfield Sunday afternoon, July 20.
According to the Pipestone County Sheriff’s Office, Jan Lee, of Sandpoint, Idaho, was landing an airplane on runway 9 and the aircraft left the runway, entered a cornfield and overturned end over end before coming to rest upside down in the field. Lee was the only one on board the airplane and sustained very minor injuries for which he was treated and released at the scene, according to the Sheriff’s Office. The airplane sustained severe damage.
The cause of the crash was not known as of Monday, July 21, and the incident was under investigation. The Pipestone County Sheriff’s Office was working with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board on the investigation.
Airport Manager Robert Dykstra said on Monday, July 21 that he was not there when the crash occurred, but arrived about 15 to 20 minutes after the crash and spoke to Lee. He was contacted about the crash by the FAA and other agencies that were notified by the airplane’s emergency locator transmitter, which provides the exact location of the airplane when there’s a crash.
Dykstra said Lee was flying with two other pilots in separate airplanes from Idaho to Oshkosh, Wis. for an air show. He said Lee told him that he touched down in the grass runway and the airplane veered to the left. He tried to brake, but went to the left, hit a little ditch and rolled into the field. Dykstra said it could have been an anomaly with the brakes. He said the airplane was likely landing at around 65 to 80 mph. Lee was strapped in with a harness and the airplane had a roll cage, and he ended up walking away “unscathed,” according to Dykstra.
Dykstra said the crash was the most severe incident that he’d seen at the airport since he started there in 2004.
“We’ve had some little incidents, but nothing outstanding — not like this,” he said.
The Pipestone County Sheriff’s Office, Pipestone Fire Department and Pipestone County Ambulance all responded to the crash. Dykstra thanked them for their quick response.
Dykstra said Lee and the two other pilots rented a car and continued on their way to Oshkosh after the crash.