***NOTE: This story has been updated from a previous version with updated information***
(Okoboji)– A small plane has crashed late this (Saturday, July 4th) morning just northeast of the Spirit Lake airport.
KUOO news has learned it was just the pilot that was onboard and he managed to walk away from the wreckage uninjurred. He was identified as 72-year-old Kenneth Kemna of North Fort Meyers, Florida.
According to the Dickinson County Sheriff’s Office, authorities were called to the scene just west of Kenue Park and the Dickinson County Nature Center around 10:43 am. They say Kemna had just taken off from the Spirit Lake Airport when the plane sustained a mechanical issue and crashed in a grassy area.
The Arnolds Park-Okoboji Fire and Rescue and Milford Fire Department along with the Dickinson County Sheriff’s Office and the Spirit Lake, Arnolds Park, Milford, and Okoboji Police Departments responded to the scene. The Dickinson County Communications Center and Dickinson County Emergency Management also responded.
Firefighters were cleaning up some fuel that was leaking from the plane.
The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are now investigating.
