Update: Pilot Injured After Single-Occupant Plane Crashes in Clearbrook

Closeup of damage to single-engine, single-occupant plane that crashed in Clearbrook Monday morning.

Update 5/1/24: Lakeland News has learned the name of the pilot who crashed a single-engine plane Monday morning in Clearbrook.

Friends of the victim tell us his name is Mark Kindem. He is a reverend and lead pastor at Bethel Lutheran Church in Bemidji and also works as a bus driver for Bemidji Area Schools.

Original story 4/29/24: The pilot of a single-engine, single-occupant plane was injured early this morning when the plane he was flying crashed in the city of Clearbrook.

The name of the pilot has not been released and his condition is unknown. He was airlifted to Fargo following the crash.

Clearbrook Police Chief Ryan Solee says the preliminary investigation indicated the pilot experienced mechanical failure. Solee says this, in addition to poor weather conditions, is believed to be the main factor in the crash.

The crash was reported around 1:40 this morning, and first responders found the pilot outside the plane. The incident is now being turned over to Federal Aviation Administration investigators.

Bemidji Aviation also released a statement saying their first concern is with the pilot and his family. They say the plane the pilot was flying was a rental aircraft operated for personal reasons.