20 July 2023
CLAY COUNTY, Mo. (WDAF) — A 79-year-old from Kansas has died in a small plane crash in Clay County, Missouri.
The Clay County Sheriff’s Office said the pilot of the plane landed at the Midwest Regional Air Center on Thursday morning to refuel.
A spokesperson said the plane crashed into a soybean field near NE 150th Street and Cordell near Kearney shortly after the pilot flew out of the airport.
The plane burst into flames when it crashed. Emergency responders said the plane carried 140 gallons of fuel at the time of the crash, which contributed to the fire.
The pilot of the plane died in the crash. The man has been identified as 79-year-old Alan “Doug” Moler of Valley Center, Kansas. The sheriff’s office said he was headed to an airport in Wichita.
Fire departments responded to the crash site after getting a 911.
Investigators said as the plane crashed, it also hit power lines. The downed wires prevented people living on NE 150th Street east of Cordell from reaching their homes until the wires could be removed from the road.
The Clay County Sheriff’s Office warned people living in the area would be without power until the lines could be repaired. Investigators did not provide a timeline of when that may happen.
No one on the ground was injured.
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the crash.
The sheriff’s office said debris outside the field will have to stay in place until the FAA investigates, so Cordell Street at 92 Highway, N.E. 150th Steet, and parts of Shady Grove Road will remain closed.