GEORGETOWN TOWNSHIP, Mich. -- A small plane crashed into a gravel pit in Georgetown Township on Tuesday afternoon.
The Ottawa County Sheriff's Office said the single-wing Cessna 177 was observed by witnesses veering off the east side of the runway during takeoff from Riverview Airport around 1:40 p.m.
Deputies said the plane crashed into the water in a gravel pit on the west side of the runway. Two civilians jumped into the water to help both passengers in the plane get back to shore, before emergency crews arrived on the scene, not far from Taylor Street.
According to police, the 84-year-old man who was piloting the plane and an 83-year-old male passenger were both taken to a hospital in serious condition. They're both from Hudsonville.
The cause of the crash is being investigated.
Besides the sheriff's office and civilians, crews from LIFE EMS ambulance and Georgetown Township Fire also responded to the scene.
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