Posted: 6/7/04

Plane goes down in Clear Lake; pilot escapes

A 23-year-old St. Paul man escaped injury late Sunday night when the plane he was piloting crashed in Clear Lake while attempting to land at Forest Lake Airport. According to Forest Lake Police Department reports, Joshua H. Simmers was attempting to land a Cessna 150 at 11 p.m. when it went down in the southeast corner of Clear Lake in approximately five feet of water and flipped on its top. Simmers was able to crawl from the plane and wade ashore. He was found by Forest Lake police walking on Floral Drive. He claimed only bumps and bruises from the crash, police said. Simmers had left Skyhaven Aiprort in Enderlin, ND, at 7:30 p.m. and was flying to the airport in New Richmond, WI, police said. Witnesses told police they heard the plane's engine sputtering as it approached the airfield from the north. The FAA and NTSB will investigate the crash. (Photo By Cliff Buchan)

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