A woman was left badly hurt and unconscious after her plane crashed into a pond shortly after taking off from Beaufort Executive Airport in South Carolina Tuesday.
The crash happened at about 11:34 a.m., Colleton County Fire-Rescue said in a release. Shortly after leaving the airport, the plane began experiencing mechanical problems and turned around.
The owner of the private property in Colleton County where the plane crashed “heard the plane strike several trees and watched as it nose dived into a small pond in his yard. He advised the engine was not running when the plane struck the tree,” fire officials wrote.
The female pilot, who was the only person on board the plane, was knocked out and severely injured. Fire officials did not specify the nature of her injuries. In addition, a wing was ripped off in the crash, and fuel leaked into the pond.
The woman was ultimately rescued and airlifted to a hospital after receiving “the administration of whole blood and airway management,” fire officials wrote.
Neither the injured woman nor the property owner were named by fire officials. The single-engine fixed wing plane is listed by the Federal Aviation Administration as belonging to Theresa McDonald.
Both the FAA and the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control responded to the scene, fire officials said. They did not specify which agency is now in charge of investigating the crash.
• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.
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