Helicopter crashes in Lake Marion in Lakeville

Helicopter down
One person was injured when the helicopter lost control and crash landed in Lake Marion in Lakeville, Minn. Tuesday May 24, 2011. Boaters pulled the man out of the water.
Andy King/AP

A helicopter dropping mosquito control pellets crashed into Lake Marion in the Minneapolis suburb of Lakeville, but the pilot survived.

The helicopter, a Bell 47, developed engine trouble over a wetland around 11:45 a.m. Tuesday, according to Dakota County Sheriff Dave Bellows. The pilot, Kevin Rossan of Michigan, brought the helicopter over Lake Marion and landed it in 12 to 15 feet of water.

Rossan suffered a back injury, but he was able to get to shore with the help of boaters, according to the sheriff. He was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries.

The helicopter belongs to Scott's Helicopter Services of Le Sueur and was under contract to the Metropolitan Mosquito Control District.

The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board will investigate.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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