Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
UPDATED 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 19
At approximately 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 19, a fatal airplane crash occurred south of New Rockford, N.D.
According to Eddy County Sheriff Paul Lies, several witnesses traveling on Highway 281 reported seeing the plane crash into a cornfield west of the highway, and just a few yards north of the Eddy-Foster County border.
The plane was reportedly traveling west when it clipped the power lines east of Highway 281, said Lies, and ultimately went down in the cornfield immediately west of the highway about 6 miles south of New Rockford.
Lies said the airplane was a crop duster, and that its pilot died as a result of injuries suffered in the crash. The name of the pilot is not being released at this time, pending notification of family.
A press release from the North Dakota Highway Patrol states the pilot was a 63-year-old male from Jamestown, N.D., and that his plane was a 2012 Air Tractor (AT502).
According to a representative of Northern Plains Electric, the plane is presumed to have crashed into a WAPA (Western Area Power Administration) transmission line, resulting in power outages at multiple substations in Carrington and the surrounding area.
The outages lasted between 30 and 90 minutes, and all power has since been restored.
Sheriff Lies said his office is in contact with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), who will conduct an investigation into the crash.
Other agencies involved include the Eddy County Sheriff’s Office, Foster County Sheriff’s Office, New Rockford Ambulance, New Rockford Fire Department and the Carrington Fire Department.
The Transcript will update this story as more information becomes available.
