3 die in small plane crash in Iowa

DES MOINES, Iowa -- The Federal Aviation Administration says three people have died in a single engine plane crash near the northwest Iowa town of Sheldon.

FAA spokesman Tony Molinaro says the Piper 28 went down about 11 a.m. Tuesday.

Molinaro says the plane, built in 1968, was owned by a Milton, Wis. The man apparently wasn't aboard.

Molinaro says the pilot didn't file a flight plan and it wasn't immediately known where the plane was flying from or its destination.

O'Brien County Sheriff Chief Deputy Allen Schuknecht told KICD radio the plane crashed in a field and ended up on partially on its top.

There were strong winds in the area at the time, but Schuknecht says officials don't know if weather was a factor in the crash.