A small plane attempting an emergency landing in a Pennsylvania park crashed into a tree late Wednesday afternoon, injuring the two people on board, including an off-duty Philadelphia police officer, officials said.
PFD said responding firefighters had to extricate one of the plane's occupants, noting that both sustained injuries and were transported to the hospital in serious condition.
The department said no fire broke out from the crash, and the scene was deemed under control shortly after 4 p.m. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating the incident.
Online records from the FAA Registry and the Aviation Safety Network indicate the single-engine aircraft was owned by Piper 3 LLC and operated by the Philadelphia-based flight school Fly Legacy Aviation.
"We're heading back towards the field," the pilot says. "We need to land now ... We are not making it to you."
Fly Legacy Aviation's general manager Alex Souponetsky told NTD via email that the two occupants—an instructor from the company and a student pilot—experienced a loss of engine power while flying over the Delaware River near the park.
"The information we have is very limited, but as a flight school who trains commercial pilots, we take our responsibilities very, very seriously and the cause of the engine power loss is under intense investigation at this time," Souponetsky wrote.
"I am relieved to report that the instructor and student pilot aboard the plane were able to complete an emergency landing in a nearby park, and although they succeeded in preventing any fatalities or injuries to others, they were unable to avoid striking a tree during their landing."