Small Plane Crashes onto Calif. Soccer Field, Critically Injuring Instructor and Student

The single-engine aircraft, operated by Torrance-based Sling Pilot Academy, was carrying two people

A single-engine plane crashed onto a San Pedro, California soccer field Monday afternoon, critically injuring a flight instructor and student, authorities said.

The Los Angeles City Fire Department responded to reports of the crash at 12:53 p.m., the department said in a news release.

The pilot, estimated to be 45 years old, and the passenger, approximately 30 years old, were transported to Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in critical condition, authorities continued.

Their conditions were not immediately known on Tuesday afternoon.

The passenger was a student pilot from the Torrance-based Sling Pilot Academy, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Related: All Students 'Expected to Recover' After Fatal N.Y. Bus Crash: 'We Can’t Wait to Welcome Them Back'

A representative with Sling Pilot Academy did not immediately return PEOPLE’s request for additional comment.

In footage obtained by CBS affiliate KCAL News, the Sling TSi aircraft is seen rapidly descending into the soccer field.

The pilot can also be heard declaring an emergency in an air traffic control recording shared by the outlet.

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 celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

"We have an engine failure. We're coming into land,” the pilot said.

J.R. Romero, a witness, told KCAL he saw the crash. "I looked up and it was about a 30-degree angle coming down," he said. "I just saw a big plane."

Romero and another bystander pulled the passenger out of the plane while first responders extricated the pilot, the LAFD said.

While speaking to KCAL, Romero said, “I flung that door open so we were able to get [the passenger] out, get her seatbelt off, able to pull her out. We didn’t want to pull out the [pilot] because he was in worse condition, I think he was unconscious for sure, she was at least conscious.”

Related: North Carolina Father and Son Killed After Plane Crashes in Virginia Cornfield

Now, as the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigate the crash, local officials are praising the pilot for landing the plane in an empty field.

Los Angeles City Councilman Tim Mcosker told CW affiliate KTLA-TV that the park is usually packed with children and families on the weekend.

"This could have been a much larger tragedy,” Mcosker said.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.