Princeton Plane Crash Victim Identified

PRINCETON (AP) -- Authorities have identified the pilot killed when a single-engine airplane crashed after taking off from Princeton airport in east-central Minnesota.

The Anoka County Midwest Medical Examiner's Office identifies the victim as 51-year-old Kevin Covlin.

Covlin was leaving for North Dakota on a hunting trip with his dog when the Piper aircraft crashed west of the airport and briefly caught fire about 12:45 p.m. Monday. The dog survived.

Covlin, who lived in Princeton and raised four daughters with his wife, was co-owner of FLR Sanders, a Princeton company that installs and refurbishes gym floors.

Employee Dillon Cariveau says Covlin was heading to North Dakota to hunt pheasants or ducks.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash.