The pilot of a small plane was hospitalized after the plane crashed about 3 p.m. today near the Schenectady County Airport.
The plane went down behind the car wash near the Empire State Aerosciences Museum on Route 50.
A witness said the plane appeared to reach an altitude of about 1,500 feet, then started swaying from side to side before losing altitude and crashing into some trees.
Officials said the pilot was conscious when rescuers arrived, but lost consciousness as he was being extricated. Rescuers performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation on him at the scene, officials said, and he was taken by ambulance to Ellis Hospital, then transferred by helicopter to Albany Medical Center.
Bill Antrim, assistant chief of the Thomas Corners Fire Department, said the plane was severely damaged.
“It broke up pretty bad once it hit the trees,” he said. “There was a lot of smoke. We used a lot of water on it.
Onlookers gathered behind the car wash and museum as rescue crews worked at the scene. Several people who were near the scene at the time of the crash said they did not hear anything until rescue crews began arriving.
The plane was described by officials and witnesses as a home-built replica of a P-51 World War II aircraft, but on a smaller scale. Its frame was made of fiberglass and wood.
No flight plan was required.
The crash shut down the Schenectady County Airport for a short time, but the airport was reopened by early evening.
The Federal Aviation Administration was on the scene, National Transportation Safety Board officials were expected Wednesday.
Glenville Police were to secure the scene overnight.
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