MANKATO — Joe Dahl was piloting the ultra-light aircraft that went down in a Brown County bean field Thursday afternoon.

The Brown County Sheriff’s Department said aircraft went down at about 3:45 p.m. Thursday after running out of gas. No one was injured.

Dahl, former sheriff of Watonwan County and current candidate for a seat on the Watonwan County Board, reportedly had just purchased the ultra light on the day of the crash.

The crash caused slight damage to the bean field and moderate damage to the aircraft.

Dahl is a well known personality in Watonwan County. As a sheriff’s deputy he was charged with theft after claiming overtime he hadn’t worked, but that conviction was overturned on a technicality. As sheriff, he tussled with the County Board over his request to arm deputies with Paintball guns. Most recently, he was fired from his county job as a bailiff.