Pilot injured in small plane crash in Eden Prairie

A single-engine plane crashed Monday afternoon a few hundred feet from an Eden Prairie neighborhood, injuring one, authorities said.

The pilot of plane was the only person aboard, and he was still conscious when taken to Hennepin County Medical Center. The extent of his injuries was unknown.

Eden Prairie Police Sgt. Matt Fackett says investigators are waiting for the National Transportation Safety Board to arrive at the scene.

He says the plane crashed in a wooded area 200 to 300 feet from the nearest home. The plane had taken off from the airport in Anoka, but Fackett did not know where it was headed.

"It is fortunate that it didn't come down on a house," Fackett said. He said several witnesses were the first to respond to the scene, and investigators will interview them to find out what happened.

One witness, Loren Edwards, was mowing a lawn in the neighborhood when he said he heard a high-pitched noise from above. Edwards said he saw the plane above him struggling to stay in the air. He watched the plane pass over some trees and then he said the noise stopped.

"As soon as the noise stopped, I knew it was down," Edwards said.

Resident Mark Arnold also heard the plane go down. "I heard the plane go over. Then I heard nothing. Sixty seconds later, I heard some screaming outside," Arnold said.

Arnold said the screaming came from other witnesses who were trying to get the pilot out of the plane. Shortly thereafter, rescue workers arrived and got the pilot out.

The pilot's name has not been released.