CALEDONIA, Minn. - A small plane crashed into a field in southeastern Minnesota on Friday, killing three people and critically injuring a fourth, authorities said.

A farmer reported a possible plane in the field to Sheriff Doug Ely at about 4:30 p.m., the Houston County sheriff's office said.

Three deaths are confirmed, the sheriff's office said. The injured person was airlifted to a hospital in La Crosse, Wis. No information was available on that person's condition.

Houston County Airport Manager Brian Pogodzinski told The Associated Press the plane did not crash on airport property.

The airport is unmanned and has no control tower, and pilots do not have to file a flight plan with the county, Pogodzinski said. He said the weather was good Friday.

The plane, a twin-engine Piper PA-23, was registered to an aviation company in Troy, Mich., according to a Federal Aviation Administration online registry. A phone number for the company could not be found.

No additional details were immediately available.

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate.