Small plane crash in St. Pete sends one to hospital

A pilot was hospitalized after his plane crashed Saturday afternoon, according to reports.

Pinellas County Sheriff’s deputies are investigating the small plane crash near the St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport that occurred shortly after 1 p.m., according to FOX 13.

The small, single-engine plane piloted by Robert Brandon was “experiencing problems” after taking off from a runway, PIE officials told WFLA News Channel 8.

Brandon, 67, of Pensacola, reported a mechanical issue with his plane, according to WTSP.

Despite Brandon’s efforts to land the plane, it crashed in the grass near a runway, according to WFLA.

Brandon was taken to Bayfront Health Hospital for serious but non-life threatening injuries, the sheriff’s office told WTSP.

No one else was on the plane, deputies said.

The crash shut down the runway for a couple of hours, but officials told WFLA that operations are back to normal.

The FAA and the NTSB will investigate the cause of the crash, which has not yet been determined.

This story was originally published November 25, 2017 at 4:54 PM with the headline "Small plane crash in St. Pete sends one to hospital."