One crash landing, two survivors and no serious injuries. Authorities are still investigating what went wrong with a small plane that was flying over Sioux Falls. A mechanical problem forced the student pilot and instructor to land in a cornfield just north of the city.



The call came in a little after 9 a.m. Tuesday morning, and law enforcement wrapped up everything less than two hours later.



“They were forced to make a landing,” Minnehaha County Sheriff Mike Milstead said.



The M23583 plane was hidden behind tall cornstalks that surrounded it. Even if you could not see it, Milstead says you only need to hear one thing.



“They landed in a safe area. It’s a happy ending,” Milstead said.



The Sheriff’s Office tweeted a picture of the plane, which looked relatively undamaged. The two men inside left an airport outside of Sioux Falls. A pilot was training with an instructor.



“They were practicing approaches. They weren’t going to land at the Sioux Falls airport,” Milstead said.



Milstead says the engine failed while in the air, and the two men could not re-start it. Both have extensive flight training and were able to quickly resolve the situation. Multiple agencies were here just in case.



“We came prepared if there was a fire. We brought trucks, medical,” Renner Fire Rescue Chief Mike Schmitz said. “(It) Has been very dry. We’ve been very fortunate we haven’t had too many grass fires or field fires up to this point.”



Milstead says both men, who declined interviews, seem to be calm and in good spirits. How the situation ended is something Milstead is glad to see.



“I’ve been to aircraft crashes over my career, and they don’t end this way. This took some skill to be able to bring it down. It took some thinking,” Milstead said.



Authorities have not yet confirmed exactly what went wrong with the engine. We will let you know when we find out.



This is the second small plane crash in KELOLAND this month. The last one happened August 19 west of Ruthton, MN.

