Plane crashes near Danbury Airport Sunday morning

Three people are injured after a plane crashed about a mile from Danbury Airport Sunday morning, police confirmed. The crash occured off Miry Brook Road near the Dog Park around 10:30 a.m, July 30, 2017 Three people are injured after a plane crashed about a mile from Danbury Airport Sunday morning, police confirmed. The crash occured off Miry Brook Road near the Dog Park around 10:30 a.m, July 30, 2017 Photo: Carol Kaliff / Hearst Connecticut Media Buy photo Photo: Carol Kaliff / Hearst Connecticut Media Image 1 of / 11 Caption Close Plane crashes near Danbury Airport Sunday morning 1 / 11 Back to Gallery

DANBURY — Three men were injured after a plane crashed in a field about a mile from Danbury Airport Sunday morning.

The Cessna Skyhawk single-engine aircraft crashed on a hill behind the Danbury Dog Park on Miry Brook Road just before 10:30 a.m. after taking off from Danbury Airport for a local flight, said Stephen Williams, deputy fire chief for the Danbury Fire Department.

The four-passenger plane had been rented from the airport earlier Sunday morning and took off from runway 2-6 behind the Fed Ex building on Backus Avenue, Williams said. The plane was heading west, but investigators do not yet know its intended destination.

Williams said the airport tower called 911 first, but authorities also received several other calls from witnesses walking their dogs in the park when the plane crashed down.

Within minutes, fire officials arrived and beat back brush to reach and rescue the three men from the plane. They were then transported to Danbury Hospital.

One of the men suffered life-threatening injuries. Another was in serious condition and was expected to stay in the hospital at least over night, Williams said. The third suffered minor injuries and was expected to be released from the hospital Sunday evening, Williams said.

Authorities were working on identifying the passengers and where they were inside the plane when it crashed. The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are also determining why the aircraft crashed, Williams said.

“It may have been a pilot error or a mechanical problem, but it’s still too early to determine,” Williams said. “They did have a full tank of fuel, so it doesn’t appear to be any type of issue like that. It’s going to take them some time to go through the mechanical of the airplane and figure out what happened.”

He added the pilot likely tried to land safely.

“I’m sure the pilot was doing everything he could to get the plane down as safely as he could as soon as he realized he wasn’t able to fly,” Williams said. “What caused the condition that he couldn’t continue to fly, I don’t know, but I’m sure he did his best to get the airplane down as best he could.”

The National Transportation Safety Board says on its website that it can take 12 to 18 months to determine the cause of a plane crash.

Police initially closed Miry Brook Road from Backus Avenue to George Washington highway in Ridgefield. But by 12:30 p.m Sunday, police set up a barrier at the Miry Brook Road and Backus Avenue intersection and directed traffic around the site.

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims at this time,” Police Chief Patrick Ridenhour said.

Any witnesses to the crash had left the scene by 11:30 a.m. Sunday, but a few passersby stopped during their walks to see what had happened.

John Zahner, who lives on the Wooster School campus across from the crash, said he heard sirens from his house and assumed there had been a small fire. But when he, his three kids and their dog went for a walk, they saw the plane in the field.

“I never heard the plane come down,” he said. “A plane of that size you would expect a little more noise.”

The dog park will be closed until the estimated 3,000 pound-plane is cleared.

“It’s still pretty rough terrain,” Williams said. “It’s going to take us a while to investigate the accident and remove the airplane.”

Lt. Mike Sturdevant said the plane is expected to be removed on Monday.