Pilot is uninjured in crash of small plane near Spirit Lake airport

A small plane crashed late Saturday morning just northeast of the Spirit Lake airport.

According to the Dickinson County Sheriff’s Office, authorities were called to the scene just west of Kenue Park and the Dickinson County Nature Center at around 10:43 a.m. Saturday. The pilot — Kenneth Kemna, 72, of N. Ft. Meyers, Fla. — had just taken off from the Spirit Lake Airport when the plane sustained a mechanical issue and crashed in a grassy area.

Kemna was able to walk away from the wreckage uninjured. The Arnolds Park-Okoboji Fire and Rescue and Milford Fire Department along with the Dickinson County Sheriff’s Office and the Spirit Lake, Arnolds Park, Milford, and Okoboji Police Departments responded to the scene. The Dickinson County Communications Center and Dickinson County Emergency Management also responded.

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