3 Injured After Plane Attempts Emergency Landing and Crashes on Ohio Middle School Football Field
Mayfield Heights Police Department
A small plane crashed on a middle school football field in Ohio on Tuesday, injuring all three of the plane's occupants.
On Tuesday, the Mayfield Heights Police Department shared a statement on Facebook noting that it received a report of a small plane crash at 11:05 a.m. "on the football field at Mayfield Middle School."
"Police and Fire arrived on scene and found all three of the plane's occupants outside of the airplane," police wrote. "All three were transported to Hillcrest Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. It appears the single engine plane was attempting an emergency landing prior to the crash. At this time, it's unknown what caused the plane crash."
Nobody on the ground was injured in the incident, per the statement.
The three people who were injured were identified as pilot Laurence E. Rohl, 79, pilot-in-training Catherine H. Terez, 27, and 52-year-old passenger Ted R. Rieple III, according to CBS affiliate WOIO-19. The outlet reported they were conducting a training exercise intended to simulate an engine going out when the plane shut off.
A spokesperson for T & G Flying Club, which Rohl is the owner of, told NBC affiliate WKYC that he
"is an excellent pilot" who "has been flying for more than 50 years."
"Larry would never put a client in any danger by doing unnecessary maneuvers. He should be considered a hero for spotting the field and keeping the community safe," the spokesperson added.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol told the outlet that the pilots handled what happened like they were supposed to, according to the outlet.
RELATED: Junior Lifeguards Help Save Pilot After Small Plane Crashes into Ocean at California Beach
The Mayfield City School District said Tuesday that none of its students or staff at the middle school, who started the new school year in full on Monday, were impacted by the incident, according to WOIO-19.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol confirmed with PEOPLE that no students were near the field at the time.
The Mayfield City School District did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment Wednesday.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Ohio State Highway Patrol Sgt. Ray Santiago told reporters Tuesday that the aircraft will be removed from the field after an investigation is completed in a similar process to motor vehicle crashes.
"The Patrol's Cleveland Dispatch Center was advised of the crash just after 11:00 a.m. yesterday," Santiago wrote in an email statement to PEOPLE Wednesday, adding that the Mayfield Heights Fire Department and Mayfield Heights police had secured the area by the time State Highway Patrol troopers arrived at the football field.
Santiago wrote that a "mechanical failure" occurred during the training exercise, which caused the engine to lose power.
"The FAA was contacted and was also on scene to conduct an investigation," he wrote in a statement. "Instigations by the Patrol and FAA are ongoing."
