A vintage Russian jet crashed Thursday morning outside Flying Cloud Airport in Eden Prairie while arriving for this weekend's annual air show.
The pilot, who hasn't been identified, was landing his MiG-21 around 10 a.m. at the airport for the Wings of the North AirExpo when the plane ran off the runway, crashing on Flying Cloud Drive near the intersection of Pioneer Trail.
Airport spokesman Pat Hogan said the jet's parachute, which helps slow the aircraft, was deployed. But for some reason it didn't stop, rolling off the runway and crashing with the nose of the plane coming to rest in a roadside ditch.
The jet is a 1975 model registered to a Michigan man, Minnesota Public Radio reported.
Police spokeswoman Katie Beal said the pilot was the only one on board the plane and suffered minor injuries, but wasn't taken to a hospital.
There was no fire, Hogan said, adding that the plane was "still in one piece."
Officials with the Federal Aviation Administration, Eden Prairie police and fire responded to the scene and will investigate the cause of the crash.
Kelly Smith • 612-673-4141; Twitter: @kellystrib
http://www.startribune.com/local/west/162220295.html