SHAKOPEE, Minn. – A light plane crashed on a grassy slope at Scenic Heights Park near the East Middle School in this southwest Minneapolis suburb. Nobody on the ground was hurt. Two people on the plane were taken to a hospital with serious injuries. There was no fire. The crash was about 12:30 p.m. Classes at the school, which has 780 students in Grades 6 to 8, continued through the end of the day as scheduled. The plane, a twin-engine Piper PA-44, came down steeply but landed on its belly Damaged was severe. The plane was on training loops from the Flying Cloud airport five miles away in Eden Prairie.
Piper PA-44 Seminole. A favorite of flight schools for multi-engine training. In production since 1979. About 1,000 have been produced. Three-passenger capacity. Weight: 2,400 pounds. Cruising speed: 187 mph.