VICTORIA, Minn. (AP) — Three people died when a single-engine plane crashed into a vacant lot and burst into flames in a small southeastern Minnesota city, a National Transportation Safety Board official said Sunday.
The crash of the single-engine Mooney M20 ignited a fire at a house adjacent to the lot in Victoria, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) southwest of Minneapolis Saturday, officials said.
Carver County Sheriff Jason Kamerud said family members were in the home when the fire started as the plane crash landed, but no one in the house was injured.
The Federal Aviation Administration said the plane was flying from Alexandria Municipal Airport to Eden Prairie’s Flying Cloud Airport before 6 p.m. when it went down.
NTSB spokesman Keith Holloway said agency investigators are on the scene, but that it was too early in the investigation to determine what caused the crash that killed three people.
Sheriff's Sgt. Neil Kuhnau referred questions about the crash to the NTSB.
Neighbors responded to the scene with hoses, and patrons from Floyd’s Bar nearby ran over with fire extinguishers. The fire was extinguished before first responders arrived.
“This is a tragic event that happened near the heart of Victoria and our community will keep the victims of this incident and their loved ones in our thoughts and prayers during this time,” city officials said in a news release.
