VICKSBURG, MI -- A 52-year-old Vicksburg man died Monday when he was struck in the head by an airplane propeller.

Kalamazoo County Undersheriff Pali Matyas said the mishap occurred at a private air strip in the 6200 block of East W Avenue in Brady Township. It is about one mile from Vicksburg.

Matyas said investigators believe the man, whose name authorities have still not released, was trying to hand-crank the propeller of his plane, an older model single-engine Luscombe aircraft "and the propeller blade came around and struck him in the head."

"The throttle and ignition were on and the blocks were still in place," Matyas said. "... He turned it all on and went to hand-crank it. And something happened."

He said, "We figured it happen sometime late morning, early afternoon."

Matyas said investigators are not sure what time the mishap occurred but believe it happened not long after 11 a.m. The man called a friend at that time and said he was headed to the hangar. They had plans to meet later. When he failed to show and failed to contact others, friends started to make calls, Matyas said.

Matyas said a concerned friend ultimately headed to the air strip and found the man by his plane in a field adjacent to a hangar where it was kept.

Deputies said the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board were notified and have asked for copies of the sheriff's office incident report. Matyas said no foul play is suspected.

"At this time they are aware of it and requested a copy of our report," he said. "What they do is up to them from there."