Plane crashed at Park Rapids airport; pilot uninjured

A University of North Dakota student escaped serious injury in a plane crash in the northwestern Minnesota city of Park Rapids.

The university says Li Yang was flying a solo cross-country flight in a Cessna 172. It says he had landed at the Park Rapids airport and was taking off around 10 p.m. Saturday when his plane went down about 100 to 150 yards off the runway.

He was treated and released in Park Rapids and was back in Grand Forks, N.D., on Sunday.

The plane sustained considerable damage.

Dana Siewert, director of safety for the university's School of Aerospace Sciences, who flew to Park Rapids, says the incident will be investigated.

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