A passenger took control of a small airplane and crash landed near a runway in Massachusetts on Saturday after the pilot suffered a “medical emergency,” authorities said.
At around 3:15 p.m. local time, the plane, which departed from Westchester, New York, crashed near a runway at Martha’s Vineyard Airport in West Tisbury, Massachusetts, Massachusetts State Police said in a news release.
“Preliminary investigation indicates that the 79-year-(old) male pilot suffered a medical emergency upon final approach,” police said.
The passenger, a Connecticut woman, took control of the aircraft, a 2006 Piper Meridian, and attempted to land the plane but crashed outside the runway, police said.
The aircraft’s left wing broke in half and the two people on board were taken to a local hospital, police said.
Pilot flown to Boston hospital in life-threatening condition
Police said the pilot was flown by helicopter to a Boston hospital. He is in serious life-threatening condition, police said. The passenger was not injured and was evaluated at Martha’s Vineyard Hospital before being released.
“The scene has been cleared,” police said. “The aircraft has been removed to a secure location at the airport.”
The State Police-Oak Bluffs Barracks, the State Police Detective Unit for the Cape and Islands District and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the incident, police said.
USA TODAY
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