Woman critically injured after surviving plane crash in South Carolina: Authorities

A woman was critically injured following a plane crash in South Carolina, authorities said.

The woman, who was flying the single-engine plane and was the sole occupant, crashed into a pond on private property Tuesday in Colleton County, a county about 53 miles west of Charleston.

According to a statement from Colleton County Fire Rescue, the aircraft had just taken off from Beaufort, a city about 38 miles south, when it had mechanical problems and turned back toward Beaufort. The owner of the property where the plane crashed was in his yard when he heard the plane hit several trees and watched it nose dive into a small pond in his yard.

The property owner told authorities the engine was not running when the plane hit the tree, and he ran to help the injured woman.

Plane crash:American man, 2 daughters, pilot killed after Caribbean plane crash in Bequia

Woman was critically injured in plane crash

The woman was unconscious and had suffered multiple injuries. Once medical help arrived on the scene, they found that she was critically injured. She was removed from the aircraft and taken with the help of bystanders to the waiting medical helicopter, which flew her to a hospital in Charleston.

The woman has not been publicly identified.

The plane was on the edge of the pond, and one wing had ripped off the fuselage, spilling fuel into the water and around the yard.