MN Business Owner Dead In Small Plane Crash: Reports

HAMILTON, MT — Minnesota business owner Paul Ehlen died in a small plane crash at a Montana airport Tuesday, KARE11 reported.

According to FOX9, Ehlen, founder of Precision Lens in Bloomington, died after the plane he was flying had a mechanical failure shortly after takeoff from the Ravalli County Airport.

The National Transportation Safety Board wrote in a tweet just before 12:30 p.m. Tuesday that it was investigating the crash of a Curtiss Wright P-40E aircraft near Hamilton.

The Ravalli County Sheriff's office said in a news release Tuesday morning that the pilot was the sole occupant of the plane and died at the scene due to the impact of the crash.

Precision Lens is a leading distributor of ophthalmic surgical products for over 30 years, according to its website.

Back in 1991, "Paul Ehlen and Ken Cameron, ambitious ophthalmic sales executives, envisioned the creation of a company that could provide unmatched speed and customer service across the midwest," the company said.

In a statement obtained by FOX9, Ehlen's company, Precision Lens, wrote that "Paul was an innovative and courageous man, and his entrepreneurial spirit and dedication to helping others will continue."

"Above all else, Paul was a family man, and our thoughts and prayers are with his wife and children whom he loved so dearly," the statement concluded.

Patch reached out to the National Transportation Safety Board for more information.