Brookings man identified as pilot who died in plane crash

BROOKINGS, S.D. (AP) Authorities have identified the pilot who died in a small plane crash on Lake Thompson in eastern South Dakota.

The Kingsbury County Sheriff’s Office tells KBRK radio (http://bit.ly/1thURGY) that 59-year-old Randall Telkamp, of Brookings, was killed in the accident, which happened about 10:30 a.m. Tuesday.

A passenger in the plane, 51-year-old Bruce Bortnem, of Aurora, is hospitalized and expected to be OK.

Authorities say the two men were looking for Bortnem’s boat, which overturned in stormy weather last week. The plane stalled out and nosed into the water from a height of about 100 feet.

The sheriff’s office says a diver who had been working in the area to locate the boat managed to pull Bortnem from the plane. 

Lake Thompson is about 40 miles west of Brookings.