Pilot, passenger rescued from small plane crash on Long Island

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NY) - A pilot and a passenger were injured when a single-engine airplane heading to upstate New York crashed on a street in a residential area on Long Island shortly after taking off from a nearby airport.

The small Piper 28 aircraft slammed into 3rd Avenue in Bayport on Sunday night.

Suffolk County Police Commissioner Tim Sini says the plane experienced engine trouble and was attempting to return to the Bayport Aerodrome when it clipped a tree and utility lines before crashing at an intersection at about 7 p.m.

The Piper 28 is capable of carrying up to 4 passengers. 

Local firefighters rescued the pilot, Scott Clifford, 34, and a passenger from the burning plane, according to officials. 

Clifford was hospitalized in serious condition with two broken legs and a head injury.

The passenger, identified as Michael Rome, 65, was expected to be OK.

No other injuries were reported.

With the Associated Press