GIMLI -- Three men are lucky to be alive after a plane crash near Gimli yesterday afternoon.

The pilot of a single-engine Stinson contacted the Gimli Airport via radio about 1 p.m., saying he was experiencing problems with the small plane's newly-rebuilt engine and that he would not be able to make it to the airport runway.

"He said he was going to try to set it down in an farmer's field a couple miles north of the airport," said Gimli RCMP Const. Scott Verestiuk.

After losing radio contact with the pilot, RCMP and emergency medical services were put on alert and a search plane was dispatched, which located the crash site.

The Stinson went down in a farmer's field just west of Highway 8 near Gimli and ended up crashing into some trees, police said.

"My understanding is that he put the plane down into the empty field, hit something on the ground and then became airborne again," Verestiuk said. "It kind of skipped off the ground and he crashed it into the tree line. There was significant damage to the plane."

When faced with an emergency landing situation, small engine pilots will often look for a hay field to ensure a slick landing surface and to help avoid the possibility of having the plane flip over on impact.

"He picked the best possible field," Verestiuk said.

Treated and released

The pilot -- a 63-year-old Stonewall man -- was treated and released for minor injuries at Gimli Hospital. The passengers, a 59-year-old Gimli man and his 24-year-old son from Winnipeg, walked away uninjured.

Police said the Gimli man is the owner of the plane and that the small aircraft -- which was recently restored and featured a rebuilt engine -- was being flown for the first time.

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada was informed of the incident but after reviewing the matter did not attend the scene, RCMP said.

Gimli is roughly 80 km north of Winnipeg.