2 Injured After Fiery Plane Crash in New Hampshire

Two people were injured in a fiery plane crash in North Hampton, New Hampshire, Sunday morning, according to state police.

Aerial footage obtained by necn, recorded by local pilots minutes after the plane went down, shows smoke billowing from the site of the plane crash deep in the woods.

"All of the sudden, we heard the trees start breaking," said neighbor Alexia Vousboukis. "There was a big rumble, and it shook the house."

The pilots who shot the footage say the plane can be seen on the runway shortly before takeoff.

The crash disrupted a quiet Sunday just after 9 a.m. near the Hampton Airfield. The plane ended up about 150 yards from the closest home.

"Bam, a plane crash in your backyard," said Vousboukis.

Investigators say it was a Piper Cherokee that went down. Rescue crews say the pilot and passenger were both able to get out of the plane on their own, but they were badly hurt. The pilot was standing up. The male passenger was lying down, but conscious.

"The pilot seemed to sustain just facial injuries," said North Hampton Fire Lt. Jason Lajoie. "The passenger sustained unknown injuries to his body but about 10 percent burns to his upper body."

Both victims were transported to Portsmouth Regional Hospital. The passenger was later airlifted to a hospital in Boston. They are both expected to survive.

FAA records show the plane is registered to Ronald Gagnon of Biddeford, Maine.

A photo of a plane with the same tail number can be found on a Facebook page of a Ronald Gagnon in Biddeford, and a man by that name is listed in fair condition but in intensive care at a New Hampshire hospital.

Investigators, however, have not yet identified either man on board.

"It actually went through the trees, impacted the ground," said Lajoie. "But it seems like the trees actually broke its impact, which probably resulted in them not getting extremely severe injuries."

It's unclear where the men started their journey or where they were headed, but they had just made a pit stop at the Hampton Airfield.

That plane went down about 2,000 feet from the end of the runway. So far, the cause of the crash has been determined.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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