Actions

Libby couple die in Minnesota plane crash

Posted
and last updated

MISSOULA — A couple from Libby have been identified as the victims of a plane crash in southeastern Minnesota last weekend.

42-year-old Jacob Mertes and his 37-year-old wife, Sara Mertes of Libby died along with Jacob's 72-year-old stepfather, Dr. James Edney, in the small plane crash on Saturday in Victoria, Minnesota.

The Federal Aviation Administration said the plane, piloted by Edney, was flying from Alexandria Municipal Airport to Eden Prairie’s Flying Cloud Airport before 6 p.m. Saturday when it went down and burst into flames in Victoria.

Debris from the plane landed in nearby yards and struck at least one house - igniting a fire that bystanders quickly extinguished. No one in the home or on the ground was injured, officials said.

- information from CBS News included in this report