Ultralight crashes in Eastern Iowa

Another ultralight airplane has crashed in eastern Iowa at the Linn-Benton County line near Fairfax. Witnesses reported hearing two explosions and seeing smoke in the area. Rescuers found a two-person parachute-type ultralight that had struck power lines and crashed, but they couldn’t find a pilot or passenger. The search was called off due to darkness. About 11:15 42-year-old Matthew Hopkins of rural Fairfield contacted authorities and told them he was the only person in the plane. Hopkins told authorities that his vision was obstructed by the sun and he struck the power lines and then the parachute of the plane got stuck in the propeller. Hopkins was not injured in the crash. The accident came less than a week after an ultralight crash in Benton County that killed a Strawberry Point woman.