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Pilot Injured When Small Plane Goes Down In Westchester County

RYE BROOK, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A pilot was injured early Saturday after a small plane crash-short of the Westchester County Airport.

The single-engine Beechcraft crashed just after midnight Saturday morning, the Journal News reported.

Rye Brook Police Lt. Eugene Matthews said the pilot had taken off from Rock Airport in Pittsburgh and was on his way to the Westchester airport.

Matthews said the pilot made a distress call before the plane landed flat on its belly in a parking lot.

The pilot – an unidentified man from Eastchester – was taken to a hospital. The nature of his injuries was not known.

He was shaken up by the crash, but remained conscious, the Journal News reported.

The Journal News said if the pilot had not made it to the parking lot he could have crashed into a nearby subdivision with more than 100 homes.

The aircraft was registered to the Westchester Flying Club, a 65-member organization, the newspaper reported. The 49-year-old aircraft involved was available for rent for $197 per hour, the Journal News reported.

Police said the Federal Aviation Administration was notified.

(TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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