Lawrence County, South Dakota: Emergency Landing

The Lawrence County Sheriff's Department says a 62-year-old pilot and his passenger escaped with only minor injuries after a plane crash Tuesday evening.

Authorities say a plane was forced to make an emergency landing after a failed landing attempt on a private airstrip near the crash scene; approximately 6 miles west of Spearfish.
  
The Cessna 175's front landing gear was torn from the plane, causing the plane to skid to a stop in a hay field. The pilot, 62-year-old John Widdoss of Spearfish, and his passenger, Justin Bierschwale of Texas, were both able to exit the plane before it caught on fire. The fire quickly engulfed the airplane and then spread into the grass of the hay field. The fire destroyed the plane and burned approximately 2 acres of grass, before being extinguished by fire crews.

Widdoss sustained minor injuries and his male passenger was not hurt.

The crash is under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration.

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