Prior Lake man dead after crashing aircraft into Minnesota River

Authorities say a Prior Lake man died after crashing what is being described as a rotary-winged aircraft into the Minnesota River Sunday afternoon.

According to the Le Sueur County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were called to the river, south of the St. Peter River access area, for a report of an aircraft that crashed into the water around 3:50 p.m.

That’s where deputies found a GyroGT-VX2 Rotary Aircraft submerged in the river.

The pilot, identified by authorities as 66-year-old Loren David Jones, was removed from the aircraft and flown to St. Mary’s Hospital in Rochester, where he died.

The Sheriff’s Office says the crash may have resulted from the aircraft hitting a power line that spanned the river, however the National Transportation and Safety Board (NTSB) is still investigating the incident.