ALEXANDRIA, Minn. -- A single-engine, fixed-wing airplane crashed on northwest Lake Latoka in Alexandria shortly after 10:30 a.m. Friday.
No serious injuries were reported, according to the Douglas County Sheriff's Office.
The plane was piloted by Hamid Reza Abbasi, 54, of Edina and Alexandria.
He was flying with his wife and their two children.
The Cirrus plane was en route to the Alexandria Airport when it crashed, according to a deputy at the scene.
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The nose of the plane cracked through the ice, creating some open water.
Witnesses on shore reported hearing a plane's engine making sputtering noises, followed by a loud bang, which apparently came from the plane's parachute being deployed.
The plane is intact and didn't appear to have much damage, except for the front portion.
The family was taken to the home of Alexandria Police Chief Rick Wyffels for temporary shelter.
A longtime resident on the lake noted that last year at this time, the ice was already off the lake and speculated that the crash could have been worse in open water.
The Alexandria Police Department and the Douglas County Sheriff's Office responded to the scene.
Cirrus, the innovator of parachute-equipped planes, is based in Duluth with operations in Grand Forks, N.D.
Copyright 2013, Forum News Service.
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