(AP) — An 82-year-old Missouri man suffered minor injuries when his experimental aircraft crashed near Emporia.

The Kansas Highway Patrol says James Zerkel, who lives near Joplin, Mo., was flying a Challenger Experimental Light Sport aircraft from Herington to Joplin when the plane went down Wednesday afternoon in a creek.

Trooper Chris Markham says the accident is being investigated but it appears to have been caused by mechanical failure.

Zerkel was able to walk to a nearby highway and sought medical treatment on his own.