Two people flying inside a small, single-prop airplane were hurt when it crashed Tuesday afternoon in north Phoenix.

A Phoenix Fire Department official said two men were rushed to hospitals in critical condition after being pulled from the wreckage.

Both men were alert and communicating with first responders, according to Phoenix fire Capt. Larry Subervi.

The plane went down west of Deer Valley Airport, near 19th Avenue and Rose Garden Lane. It crashed through a fence and lodged in a tree, said Subervi.

Shortly after the plane took off, the pilot reported a problem with the plane and said he would attempt to return back to the airport, said Ian Gregor, an Federal Aviation Administration spokesman.

The plane went down a half-mile after the runway ended, he said.

"Nineteeth Avenue is the end of the Deer Valley runway, so the witnesses that were there said they saw the aircraft swirling, and start to go down pretty immediately," Subervi said.

"I would expect this intersection to be closed all day," he said. "From here, Phoenix Police Department is going to do the investigation."

Subervi said the intersection is "extremely busy" during the middle of the day, and it's lucky that nobody else was hurt.

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