Man Dies After Being Struck In Head By Airplane Propeller

BRADY TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) - Authorities say a 52-year-old man has died after being struck in the head by a propeller while trying to start a single-engine airplane in southwestern Michigan.

TThe Kalamazoo County sheriff's department says Michael Westveer of Vicksburg died following the Monday accident at a private airstrip in Brady Township.

Undersheriff Paul Matyas says investigators believe Westveer was trying to hand-crank the propeller of his plane when he was struck. Matyas tells the Kalamazoo Gazette the man was found in a field near a hangar after he didn't show up as planned to meet a friend.

The sheriff's department is investigating and federal transportation authorities are expected to review the case.

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