Morehouse pilot survives early morning crash in Dexter

DEXTER, Mo. -- A Morehouse, Missouri, man has serious injuries, but walked away from a wooded area south of Dexter after his Cessna 150 crashed within 75 yards of a residence.

John Launius took off from the Dexter Airport just before 4 a.m. Monday, according to the Stoddard County Sheriff's Department.

At least one resident near the area of the crash heard what sounded like a "tree falling" about 4 a.m.

Launius was the only person aboard the plane. He made his way from the wreckage to a nearby home, but collapsed near the carport. Launius was found about two hours after the crash, around 6:15 a.m., and Stoddard County EMS responded, transporting him to Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston, Missouri. His condition was unknown.

The area where the plane crashed is Davis Survey, a wooded residential area just south of Dexter. The wreckage could not be spotted from a nearby road, but came to rest on the ground after crashing through the woods. The plane did not catch fire on impact, and Launius freed himself from the wreckage.

Members of the Federal Aviation Administration were expected to arrive in Dexter on Monday afternoon to investigate the crash.