Small aircraft crashes near Marion

A small airplane crash landed south of Marion just before dusk Friday. The aircraft went down in a recently planted crop field near Coleman Road. The pilot was the only person on board and he was not seriously injured.  Observers said that it was Donnie Belt of Marion flying the aircraft.

The plane was described by one observer as a light sport aircraft.

Gary Cruce, who lives on U.S. 641, said he heard the plane sputtering so he jumped in his Jeep and headed toward where it was going down.

"It was circling and the motor was cutting in and out," Cruce said. "You could tell something was not right then I heard it hit the ground. We headed that way and called the police department."

Cruce said that when he arrived at the crash site, the pilot was standing outside the plane.

Bobby West, an off duty Marion police officer, was also among the first on the scene. He said the plane was larger than an ultralight, but smaller than a normal two- or four-seat airplane. He said the pilot had a small abrasion on his arm, but no other physical signs of injury. An ambulance was not called to the scene.

The FAA was notified and reportedly sending an investigator to examine the crash.