2 hurt in Bridgeport plane crash

BRIDGEPORT, Texas - A husband and wife were hurt when a small plane crashed in Wise County Wednesday morning.

The crash happened around 11:15 a.m. shortly after a Cessna 182 took off from the Bridgeport Municipal Airport. Witnesses say they heard a loud noise before the engine suddenly cut off.

Bridgeport police confirm the people on the plane were Dalton and Sara Hunt from Kansas and were seriously hurt. Sara was airlifted to John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth. Dalton was taken to Wise Regional Hospital in Decatur.

DPS Sgt. Lonny Hashel said the plane lost power, crashed into a field and hit some trees.

FAA spokesman Lynn Lunsford said the pilot had reported engine trouble and was trying to return to the airport. The crash happened just short of the runway.

Witnesses said the wife was piloting the single-engine plane at the time. In an attempt to put it down quickly, she landed just past the runway and hit a tree.

"They didn't have much of a choice. They were a hundred foot in the air, and the only thing was to go down,” said pilot Stan Caruthers. “It's devastating to the community. My phone was burning up. Everyone was calling, making sure we were all alright."

According to Flight Aware, the couple was flying from Kansas with a stop in Bridgeport before continuing on to New Braunfels.

The FAA and the NTSB are investigating the crash.