Pilot killed in crash of small plane in eastern Minnesota

MOOSE LAKE, Minn. – Authorities have found the body of the pilot in the wreckage of a small plane that went missing in eastern Minnesota.

Searchers found the Mooney M20J single-engine plane partially submerged in a river near the runway of the Moose Lake Carlton County Airport around 7 a.m. Thursday.

WDIO-TV reports Carlton County Sheriff Kelly Lake says authorities believe the victim is a 65-year-old man from Plymouth, Minnesota, but an autopsy will be needed to confirm his identity.

The pilot had filed a flight plan with the Federal Aviation Administration for a Wednesday trip from the Moose Lake airport to the Crystal Airport in the Twin Cities. The plane was scheduled to land in Crystal at 5:15 but never arrived.

The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports the plane is registered to the non-profit Club Cherokee, which operates private aircraft for members. The National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA are investigating.