An airplane crashed near the runway of the Moorhead Municipal Airport Monday night injuring two men.
James Volker, 44, of Elbow Lake, Minn., and Daniel Jensen, 31, of Moorhead were taken to MeritCare Hospital in Fargo with non-life threatening facial injuries.
The Moorhead Fire Department and F-M Ambulance responded to the crash, which occurred shortly after 9 p.m. just west of the airport runway, near Interstate 94.
Jensen, a student under Volker, was flying the plane when mechanical problems caused it to go down, according to Moorhead Police Sgt. Jim Nielsen.
"The plane bounced," Nielsen said. "We were told the problem may have been when they were switching between gas tanks."
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Volker and Jensen's injuries were minimal, but the airplane was badly damaged, Nielsen said.
Matt Kloeckner of Moorhead was flying with his brother, Ryan, nearby Monday night and witnessed the crash.
Kloeckner said he had radio contact with the airplane but knew something was wrong when it suddenly disappeared. He surveyed the scene and saw the airplane nose-down into the ground.
"Looking at the plane, we thought for sure they were going to be dead," he said. "They were busted up a little, but they were walking around. I think they were just glad to be alive at that point."
The airport was closed immediately after the crash and will remain closed until the scene is cleared and safe, said Jason Nordby, Moorhead airport resident flight instructor.
Readers can reach Forum reporter Mary Jo Almquist at (701) 241-5531
