A small plane crashed as a passenger attempted to land at the airport in Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, on Sunday after the pilot suffered a medical emergency, officials said.
The 68-year-old woman, who was not publicly identified, took over the controls, before the plane had a hard landing in a grassy area near the runway around 3:15 pm on July 15, the Massachusetts State Police said in a statement.
The woman and the pilot, the only two people aboard the plane, were taken to an area hospital after the pilot was extricated from the plane, state and West Tisbury Police said.
The pilot, identified as a 79-year-old man, was then airlifted to a hospital in Boston with a “serious life-threatening condition,” according to police. The woman was not injured and was later released from the hospital.
Police did not specify what medical episode the man experienced.
The Piper Meridian Turbo Prop plane departed from Westchester, New York, and landed without landing gear, according to state and West Tisbury Police.
The pilot and passenger are Connecticut residents, state police said, and the plane was moved to a secure location after the scene was cleared.
The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation and is being assisted by the Federal Aviation Administration and the MSP, the FAA said in a statement.
This article was originally published on TODAY.com