7 dead in two Midwest plane crashes

Seven people have been killed in two crashes of small airplanes in western Wisconsin and southwestern Minnesota, officials said on Tuesday.

Four people died when a single-engine Beechcraft airplane crashed into a field in Alden, Wisconsin, and burst into flames on Monday evening, the Polk County Sheriff's Office said in a press release.

Hours later, a pilot and two passengers died when a small airplane went down into a corn field south of Holland, Minnesota, the Pipestone County Sheriff's Office said.

The sheriff's office identified the pilot as Steven Christensen, 59, of rural Pipestone. The passengers who died were Marcos Favela, 18, of Torreon, Mexico; and a 13-year-old girl from Guadalajara, Mexico, the sheriff's office said.

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating both crashes, the sheriff's offices said.