A pilot whose aircraft crashed out of the sky and slammed into trees in New Hampshire is lucky to be alive.
The small cargo plane took a nosedive in Londonderry on Friday morning and smashed into the ground shortly after taking off from Manchester-Boston regional airport.
Surveillance footage captured the moment the aircraft fell through the trees and ignited some sparks before smashing into a resident’s backyard.
The pilot was left with serious injuries and taken to hospital for treatment but officials say it is a miracle the plane did not catch fire as it had around 250 gallons of fuel on board.
A pilot whose aircraft crashed out of the sky and slammed into trees in New Hampshire is lucky to be alive
The small cargo plane took a nosedive in Londonderry on Friday morning and smashed into the ground shortly after taking off from Manchester-Boston regional airport
The pilot was left with serious injuries and taken to hospital for treatment but officials say it is a miracle the plane did not catch fire as it had around 250 gallons of fuel on board
It is not clear what caused the crash but the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the incident.
Video of the crash shows sparks flying as the plane smashes through the trees on the way to the ground and loud bangs can be heard.
Neighbors ran outside and rushed to the pilot’s aid after hearing the loud crash.
‘He was pinned up against the dash so he was trying to get his belt off. He was a little, seemed like he might’ve been a little altered,’ Brian Croteau told NBC Boston.
‘He was a little, seemed like he might’ve been a little altered, couldn’t really make out what he was saying, he was mumbling, looks like he hurt his face pretty substantially.’
Emergency services rushed to the scene within minutes of receiving a report of the incident and the pilot was rushed to hospital
‘He was pinned up against the dash so he was trying to get his belt off. He was a little, seemed like he might’ve been a little altered,’ Brian Croteau said
Emergency services rushed to the scene within minutes of receiving a report of the incident and the pilot was rushed to hospital.
‘They actually had to pry the plane open just kind of like a car crash to try and get him out,’ Eddie Saktanaset said.
Fire officials said the pilot was conscious during the ordeal and even called 911 himself following the crash.
‘He ought to play the lottery for sure. A lot of things could have gone wrong further than the aircraft crashing,’ fire chief Bo Butler said.
Photos from the scene show the wreckage of the cargo aircraft still scattered across the ground.
