One man is in a Calgary hospital with potentially life-threatening injuries after a small plane crashed near Calaway Park.

Cochrane RCMP say around 3:15 p.m. MT the single engine landed at the entrance to Calaway Park and came to a stop after hitting a berm.

"The aircraft is off to the side on a berm — a grassy berm — not obstructing the roadway; however, it is essentially in the parking lot of Calaway Park," said EMS spokesman Stuart Brideaux.

Brideaux says the man had to be pried from the plane and his injuries are related to the impact of the crash.

The 39-year-old male pilot was taken to Foothills hospital in potentially life-threatening condition.

Calaway Park employee

Bev Berenson, the general manager of Calaway Park, said the pilot is a park employee but was not working at the time.

She said he had clearance from the nearby Springbank Airport to take off from the parking lot but crashed during that takeoff.

"I'm deeply upset about this. This is a key contractor for us. He's a member of the Calaway family so we're very concerned about him and our prayers are with him and his family right now," said Berenson.

The pilot is from British Columbia.

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) is assessing the crash of the amateur-built aircraft.

TSB spokesman John Cottreau says the board is gathering information and will interview the pilot when appropriate.

He says the incident will not be officially investigated because of the nature of the crash but the TSB does assess select incidents to help improve the safety system.