The Lafayette County Sheriff’s Department responded to a small plane that crashed in a field on July 10.
The aircraft, a Cessna 172, crashed in a soybean field along Mink Farm Road near Lacy Road in the town of Wayne at approximately 12:37 p.m. The front landing gear broke off upon impact and the airplane skidded for a short distance before overturning on its wings coming to rest upside-down in the field.
The pilot, Charles A. Rautiola, 63 of Eagan, Minn., reported that the aircraft’s engine lost oil pressure while in flight and the engine quit running before he could get the aircraft to an airport. Rautiola complained of a slight back injury. His passenger, Richard A. Smith, 62 of Burnsville, Minn., reported no injuries. Rautiola was transported via ambulance to a Monroe hospital.
The preliminary investigation indicates that the aircraft was en route to Minnesota from Indiana at the time of the crash.
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) officials will investigate the crash further. South Wayne Fire and Rescue, Green County EMS Ambulance Service of Monroe, Lafayette County Sheriff’s Department and Town of Wayne officials assisted at the scene.