(See the video of the crash and rescue below)
Police say a small plane crashed at the Tampa airport, seriously injuring the pilot. Tampa police Lt. Richard O'Connor says the single-engine plane was coming in for a landing when it crashed just inside the airport's fence around 11:48 p.m. Thursday.
O'Connor says police officers in a helicopter were on routine aerial patrol nearby when they heard the pilot's distress call and saw the plane stall and crash. O'Connor says the officers landed, extinguished a fire at the crash site and pulled the unconscious pilot from the cockpit.
O'Connor says the pilot was brought to a hospital with serious injuries, including facial fractures. But he says the injuries aren't believed to be life threatening.
O'Connor says the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash.
This video from the Tampa Police helicopter from this morning's airplane crash shows the aerial after the crash, the officer using a fire extinguisher to put out the flames and pulling the pilot from the plane.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKzN7DIqje8&feature=youtu.be
