"You have an airplane running around out there wild. We were chasing it, then it was chasing us."

A pilot was injured when his antique plane began spinning out of control Wednesday morning at Joseph A. Hardy Connellsville Airport.The man was preparing to take off in the plane when he got out to hand turn the propeller, but did not put the throttle in idle. Video: Watch Bob Hazen's report"The engine started at a much higher RPM than it should have, with enough power to override the brakes," said Gary Sobek, who was preparing to fly out on his own plane.Video: Runaway plane: pilot injured at Connellsville airportThe plane, said to be a 1946 Aeronca Champ, began to move when the propeller started spinning, moving the plane from one end of the airport's apron to the other."You got an airplane unning around out there wild. We were chasing it, the it was chasing us pretty rough. We didn't know what to do," said Bud Neckerbauer, the airport's manager.Video: Watch the reportThe pilot, identified as John Warren, 72, of Monongahela, was struck by the tail section of the plane when he tried to stop it and was knocked into the air and fell, striking his head on the ground.The plane then smashed into a truck parked nearby and crashed through a hangar door before stopping.Warren was taken to UPMC Presbyterian Hospital in Pittsburgh.Get the WTAE Pittsburgh's Action News 4 App10925658

A pilot was injured when his antique plane began spinning out of control Wednesday morning at Joseph A. Hardy Connellsville Airport.

The man was preparing to take off in the plane when he got out to hand turn the propeller, but did not put the throttle in idle.



Advertisement Related Content Runaway plane: pilot injured at Connellsville airport

Video: Watch Bob Hazen's report

"The engine started at a much higher RPM than it should have, with enough power to override the brakes," said Gary Sobek, who was preparing to fly out on his own plane.

Video: Runaway plane: pilot injured at Connellsville airport

The plane, said to be a 1946 Aeronca Champ, began to move when the propeller started spinning, moving the plane from one end of the airport's apron to the other.

"You got an airplane unning around out there wild. We were chasing it, the it was chasing us pretty rough. We didn't know what to do," said Bud Neckerbauer, the airport's manager.

Video: Watch the report



The pilot, identified as John Warren, 72, of Monongahela, was struck by the tail section of the plane when he tried to stop it and was knocked into the air and fell, striking his head on the ground.



The plane then smashed into a truck parked nearby and crashed through a hangar door before stopping.



Warren was taken to UPMC Presbyterian Hospital in Pittsburgh.



