Crop sprayer escapes injury

Crop sprayer escapes injury when plane crashes
Shortly before 6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 19, the Swift County Sheriff’s Office received a report of an airplane crash, south of U.S. Highway 12 near Swift County Road 39 outside Kerkhoven. The airplane was being flown by the owner, Douglas Jackson, of Benson.  He was not injured in the accident.
The initial investigation shows that Jackson, 54, was spraying a soybean field when it hit a guide wire for a power pole causing the motor of the plane to shut off.  Jackson told officials that he did not see the guide wire.  When the engine stopped, he attempted to land on the road, but ended up crash landing in a cornfield.
Deputies investigating at the crash site contacted the Federal Aviation Administration.   Also assisting Swift County Deputies at the scene were the Kerkhoven Fire Department, Kerkhoven Ambulance and the Kandiyohi Power Cooperative.  The National Transportation Safety Board was to be at the scene of the accident for further investigation, this week.
Monitor file photo.