Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the cause of a plane crash in Muncie, Indiana that left three people injured, including a man and a woman who were taking a walk near the airport, WTHR reported.
The crash occurred shortly before 10:30 a.m. on April 1 not far from the Delaware County Regional Airport.
According to officials, the pilot of the single-engine plane never sent a distress call before the crash.
Two people who were on the walking trail near the airport were injured in the crash. The pilot was also injured. All three were transported to nearby hospitals.
In a press conference later that day, officials said one of the walkers and the pilot were both listed in serious condition.
When emergency responders arrived at the scene of the crash, they had to cut the pilot out of the plane to retrieve him.
Delaware County Sheriff Tony Skinner told WTHR last Wednesday that both the pilot and the other man were still hospitalized for their injuries. The woman was treated and released.
Sheriff Skinner said the man and woman who were walking the trail had been burned in the fire that erupted when the plane broke apart after slamming into the lines of trees on either side of the trail.
A construction crew that had been doing electrical work at the airport put out the fire before emergency responders arrived at the crash site.
According to airport officials, the pilot had taken off in Bloomington and was attempting to land at Delaware County Regional Airport when the plane crashed.
The FAA and NTSB said the wreckage would be taken to Indianapolis for examination. It could take months for them to determine what caused the crash.
Delaware County Regional Airport manager Tim Baty said the airport had not had a “serious injury crash” in about 20 years.
