Small plane crashes in Elizabeth Township
ELIZABETH TOWNSHIP, Pa. (KDKA) — A small plane crashed in Elizabeth Township on Friday.
The Elizabeth Township Fire Department said first responders were called to the area of Skillet Hill Road for reports of an aircraft down around 7 p.m. Crews found the aircraft and worked to rescue the adult male pilot, who was the only person on the plane.
Update: units have located the downed aircraft. Rescue operations are in progress. https://t.co/iCjYaTPB78
— Elizabeth Township Fire Department (PA) (@elizabethtwpfd) May 27, 2022
He was flown to a local hospital in critical condition with "life-threatening injuries," police said.
The pilot of the single-engine Aeronca 7 Champion took off from Findlayville Airport and was doing touch-and-go landings at Rostraver Airport when he ran crashed. The pilot lost altitude and crashed into the woods.
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No word on what caused the crash.
"I looked up and saw he was taking off and he flew over my house and start backing to the left like he was trying to make it around to the airport. The engine wasn't starting like it should have," said Karen Melilli, who heard the crash.
"My son has the humvee and he went up into the woods with the firemen and they got him out of the plane on a stretcher and brought him down in a humvee," she added.
Photos show a crumpled plane in a wooded area with several first responders at the scene.
The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating.