Cross-Country Flyers Crash in Missouri Field

A flying team participating in an all-female cross-country airplane race crashes into a Missouri field, but both crew members were able to walk away unhurt.

The Warrensburg Daily Star-Journal reports the Cessna Skylane 182P went down shortly before noon Wednesday near Humansville (Polk County), about 70 miles south of a planned stop in Warrensburg at Skyhaven Airport. Engine failure is the suspected cause of the crash, which occurred around 11:45 a.m.

The pilot, Susan Larson, 65, of Santa Fe, N.M., called 911 shortly before noon to say she had made an emergency landing with her co-pilot, Amy Ecclesine, 60, of Berkeley, Calif.

The duo are one of around 50 all-female teams competing this week in the 2016 Air Race Classic, which is taking place this week. The next stop for the racers was an airport in the Chicago area (Tuscola). The race, which began Tuesday in Prescott, Ariz., ends at Daytona Beach International Airport on Friday.