The second plane went down around 8 pm just west of I-35E and there were no injuries. The scary moment caught a nearby resident totally off-guard.
“I saw a low-flying plane,” said Angela Conley. “I remember walking and just kind of briefly looking behind the tree, thinking, ‘that is a really low plane.’ Then I kept walking and shortly after I heard all kinds of sirens and fire trucks going by, but I am very happy to hear that the person was safe and was able to land.”
Active investigation
The pilot has not been identified, but has removed the plane from the pond. The Anoka County Sheriff’s Office, Lino Lakes Police, FAA and NTSB are actively investigating the incident.
“I know that there have been a lot of questions in the community about conduct that may have been engaged in prior to the plane landing in the lake,” said John Swenson of the Lino Lakes Police Department. “That’s exactly what we’re looking into and making sure that we hold anybody accountable for any criminal activity.”
This was definitely an unusual event. Airplane mishaps don’t happen often in Lino Lakes.
“In the last 12 years of aircraft incidents, I would say maybe three or four,” Swenson said. “So they are very rare for us…We would ask any members of the community that if you have any video of this incident to please reach out to the Lino Lakes public safety department and our investigations unit. We would be interested in reviewing that video.”
Investigators don’t know yet where the pilot’s flight began and where he was going.
