Parachute Saves 3 When Plane Goes Down In Danbury, Conn.

DANBURY, Conn. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- The pilot and two passengers escaped serious injury when a small plane went down in Danbury on Tuesday night.

The plane was coming from Groton when the pilot deployed the parachute because of an unspecified mechanical problem. The plane went down near South Street and Wixted Avenue in Danbury around 7:30 p.m., but because of the parachute, everyone escaped without serious injury.

The plane came to rest with its nose down.

The parachute caught in power lines. Power was temporarily cut to remove it.

Assistant airport administrator Mike Safranek said the pilot deployed the Cirrus aircraft's chute two miles from the airport. He said the pilot is a licensed instructor who was giving a lesson to a student. The third man was the student's friend.

The men were taken to Danbury Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

The Cirrus was one of a few such aircraft with a parachute, CBS 2 reported.

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