KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating the crash of an ultralight aircraft that led to the pilot suffering severe burns.
Just before 7:30p.m. Thursday, the Clay County Sheriff's Office received a 911 call about the crash, according to a media release.
The aircraft had taken off from Liberty Landing Airport, 20424 E. Old 210 Highway, a small airstrip between Liberty and Missouri City adjacent to the Missouri River.
The pilot was able to get out of the burning aircraft and walk back to the airport, where a bystander called 911. An ambulance transported him to the hospital where he was treated for severe burns.
It took deputies and the Kansas City Missouri Police Department's helicopter more than an hour to locate the wrecked ultralight in a nearby cornfield.
Smoke was still coming from the aircraft. Firefighters from the Fishing River Fire District and Liberty Fire Department put the fire out. Adjacent railroad tracks were shut down during the investigation and may have sustained damage from the crash. The sheriff's department turned the investigation over to the FAA. Their investigators are to arrive Friday.