Plane crashes into home in Maryland

Updated at 3:30 p.m. ET

MARYLAND CITY, Md. A small airplane crashed into a mobile-home community between Baltimore and Washington, D.C., Thursday morning.

Authorities told CBSNews.com that the pilot, a 70-year-old man, was transported from the scene to the Shock Trauma Center at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore.

Medical center spokeswoman Karen Lancaster confirmed to CBSNews.com Thursday afternoon that the pilot was in critical condition. Division Chief Keith Swindle of the Anne Arundel County Fire Department told CBSNews.com that the pilot was transported to the hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.

The plane hit two mobile homes in a mobile-home community in Maryland City, Md., around 10:15 a.m., a spokesperson for the Anne Arundel fire department told CBS Washington affiliate WUSA-TV.

CBS Baltimore station WJZ-TV reports the crash happened a mile north of Suburban Airport, where the plane departed, and that Maryland State Police said the plane wasn't able to gain altitude.

Witnesses told WJZ-TV they could see smoke coming from the plane, which clipped a tree and then crashed into two mobile homes.

Witnesses told WUSA-TV they heard sputtering in the sky and thought something was wrong. Some came outside to look and heard a boom.

When the plane crashed, witnesses saw the pilot on the ground, bleeding, WUSA-TV reports.

Anne Arundel County police told WUSA-TV that the pilot was conscious and alert when he was transported, adding that there were no injuries on the ground.

Firefighters were on scene by the time a news helicopter arrived over the mobile home Thursday morning. The plane appeared to be nearly cut in half on the side of the home.

The helicopter footage also appeared to show a broken-off wing sent into a mobile home across the street and possible landing gear sent into a third home.

The American Red Cross was dispatched to the scene of the crash, working with two families who have been displaced, WJZ-TV reports.

One is a family of a four and the other is a family of five, WJZ-TV reports. The Red Cross is providing shelter, food and clothing. A disaster mental health counselor is also available.