2 critically injured after plane crashes at Fond du Lac County Airport

FOND DU LAC COUNTY -- A single-engine plane crashed at the northwest corner of the Fond du Lac County Airport Thursday morning, July 28th -- and two men were hurt.

The 911 center received multiple calls just before 8:30 a.m.

According to the FAA, the plane experienced a mechanical issue -- and the pilot asked to return to the airport soon after taking off. They were cleared to land, but crashed about a half-mile short of the runway.

The pilot of the plane, a 78-year-old man from Santa Fe, New Mexico, was taken to ThedaCare Regional Medical Center in Neenah with critical injuries. The passenger of the plane, a 71-year-old man from Santa Fe, suffered serious injuries and was also taken to also taken to ThedaCare Regional Medical Center.

PHOTO GALLERY



Witnesses saw it all happen.

"They reported that the plane appeared to be coming in possibly for a landing, making an abrupt turn, and then they made a comment that they thought it was going to hit the trees. Then it hit the ground," Captain Rick Olig with the Fond du Lac County Sheriff's Office said.

The airport was closed while emergency crews were on the scene.

It has since reopened.

It's unclear at this point whether the plane was involved in EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh.