A man died Wednesday afternoon in a small airplane crash in New York that the pilot survived with broken bones and burns, authorities said.
Cattaraugus County Sheriff Timothy Whitcomb told the Olean Times Herald that the single-engine plane crashed about 2 p.m. Wednesday shortly after it took off from the Great Valley Airport.
A witness told first responders the plane appeared to have trouble after taking off, the Times Herald reported.
A man flown to a Buffalo hospital with serious injuries claimed to be the pilot, Sheriff’s Capt. Ronald Lott said. He is expected to survive.
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Deputies are working to identify the man who died and notify his relatives, Whitcomb said.
The crash happened on the airport’s runway, the Times Herald reported.
The National Transportation Safety Board tweeted that it will determine Thursday whether it will travel to the crash site.
