EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. – Three people escaped the crumpled wreckage of a light plane as it erupted in flames coming in to land at the Flying Cloud airport. The pilot was hospitalized with serious injuries, police said. Two passengers had minor injuries. Snow on the ground may have cushioned the impact. The plane, a Socata TB21 Trinidad, built in 2012, was on a 50-minute, 110-mile hop from Fairmont. The pilot radioed he was in trouble as he approached Flying Cloud’s Runway 10R. The plane hit the ground west of Spring Road, short of the runway. The plane was fully engulfed in flames when first responders arrived.
A Trinidad in flight. A single-engine plane with four-person capacity. Designed in 1970s by Socata of France. Max speed: 185 mph. Number manufactured: 2,100. Range: 750 miles.