Watch CBS News

Plane Crash Kills Bemidji Aviation Head

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – The head of a small Minnesota aviation company is dead after apparently being killed in a plane crash.

Authorities said Larry Allan Diffley was in a small, twin-engine aircraft when it crashed in Manhattan Township, Ill., at about 3 p.m. Wednesday. That area is about an hour south of Chicago.

Diffley was the president of Bemidji Aviation Services and was contracted by Enbridge Oil to inspect a pipeline in the area when his plane crashed into a bean field. The impact scatter debris more than 500 yards away from where the plane first hit.

In a statement, Bemidji Aviation Services said "This is a profound loss for the Diffley family, our company and the Bemidji community."

Diffley was 74 years old.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.