Minn. pilot injured in China crash coming home

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The family of a Minnesota pilot who was the only U.S. survivor of a cargo plane crash in China last month is expecting he'll be home for Christmas.

The oldest son of 61-year-old Bill Johnson of Chanhassen tells the Minneapolis Star Tribune that his father suffered fractured vertebrae, broken ribs and burned lungs after his McDonnell Douglas MD-11 crashed on takeoff at Shanghai's Pudong International Airport on November 28.

Three Americans were killed in the crash, and three other crew members from Indonesia, Belgium and Zimbabwe were injured.

The plane, operated by Zimbabwe's Avient Aviation, was carrying general cargo. Johnson has been flying since he served in the Air Force during the Vietnam War.

Johnson's son says his father will need rehabilitation but that it's a ``miracle' he's able to come home at all.

Tags: plane crash survivor, plane crash, news, minnesota, pilot, daily updates