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N.D. (NewsDakota.com) A South Dakota pilot landed his 1978 Cessna 172 safely in a LaMoure County field Tuesday afternoon about 17 miles south of Jamestown.

Highway Patrol spokesman Sgt. Thomas Herzig said the pilot 46-year-old Keith Melius said his planes engine had mechanical problems and he was forced to land the aircraft on a snow covered field approximately ½ of a mile southwest of the intersection of Highway 281 and Highway 46. 

Herzig said the pilot maintained control of the airplane during the rough landing. Melius was not injured. The aircraft suffered some damage. The incident remains under investigation by the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board.