UPDATE: Pilot, Passenger Hospitalized After Small Plane Crashes in Bayport

BAYPORT, NY - A pilot and passenger were injured when a small plane crashed in Bayport Sunday night, police said.

The crash occurred on 3rd Avenue near the Bayport Aerodrome around 7 p.m.

Photos from the scene show parts of the single-engine Piper plane on fire in the street at the corner of 3rd Avenue and 2nd Street.

Policce identified the pilot as 35-year-old Scott Clifford and the passenger as 65-year-old Michael Rome. Both men were airlifted to Stony Brook University Hospital, where Clifford is in serious condition. Rome suffered non-life threatening injuries.

The plane took off from the aerodrome and was headed to Orange County, N.Y., where Clifford and Rome both reside, Newsday reported.

" It appears they attempted to return to the airport after take-off possibly due to engine issues," police said. "As the plane was coming down, the wing clipped a utility pole."

The plane is registered to Henderson Lynn, of Minnesota, according to Federal Aviation Administration records.

Photo by Steven Jensen