Minnesota, Wisconsin small plane crashes claim 7

Updated: July 28, 12:07 p.m. | Posted: July 27, 10:15 p.m.

Separate small plane crashes Monday night in southwest Minnesota and western Wisconsin killed seven people.

Three people died when a small airplane crashed in southwest Minnesota.

The pilot in the Pipestone County crash was identified as Steven Christensen, 59, of rural Pipestone, Minn. One passenger was identified as 18-year-old Marcos Favela of Torreon, Mexico. A 13-year-old girl who was from Guadalajara, Mexico has not been identified.

The Pipestone County Sheriff's Office received reports that a plane went down near Holland, Minn., shortly after 8 p.m.

Emergency responders found a small, fixed-wing aircraft in a cornfield. The pilot and two passengers were pronounced dead at the scene.

The Federal Aviation Administration and Pipestone County Sheriff's Office are investigating the crash.

In rural western Wisconsin on Monday, four people died after a small plane crashed in a field.

The pilot in the Polk County crash was identified as 44-year-old Daniel Ortner of North Hudson, Wis. Hudson resident Eric J. Larson, 47, died along with his sons Michael J. Larson, 20, and Matthew E. Larson, 18.

A statement from the Polk County Sheriff's Office says the department was notified of the crash in the town of Alden, Wis., just before 5:30 p.m. Monday.

Deputies who responded found a single-engine Beechcraft plane burning in the field. The statement says firefighters extinguished the blaze and the remains of four occupants were found inside the aircraft.

The remains have been taken to a medical examiner's office in Anoka, Minn., for autopsies and identifications.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.