OBSERVER Photo by Brian Ferry An ultralight plane crashed Thursday evening in Pine Grove Township in Warren County. The aircraft has since been removed from a creek bed.

WARREN, Pa. — An ultralight, single-engine plane has been removed from a creek bed after crashing late Thursday in Warren County.

The crash occurred around 7:30 p.m. near Big Four Road in Pine Grove Township.

A passenger inside the plane, a Flightstar II SC built in 2001, said the aircraft failed to gain enough altitude after touching down on a private airstrip and struck a tree.

“We tried to make it over the tress and we hit a tree,” the passenger, who was treated at the scene, told the Times Observer newspaper. “It didn’t climb like it normally does.”

After striking the tree, the plane crashed into a creek bed not far from the airstrip. The ultralight landed on its side and had to be turned upright for the pilot to be removed.

The pilot, who was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash along with the passenger, was transported to the Russell Volunteer Fire Department and later airlifted to a hospital. The severity of his injuries was not known, though the passenger said he was conscious and talking before being taken away.

Responding agencies Thursday include Russell firefighters, EmergyCare, Warren County Public Safety and the Pennsylvania State Police.