Oklahoma trooper injured when search plane crashes

OKLAHOMA CITY, July 27 (UPI) -- An Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper was seriously injured Friday when his small plane crashed while he conducted an aerial search, police said.

The highway patrol said the trooper had just spotted a man who had walked away from a car crash southeast of Oklahoma City when his engine stalled, KAKE-TV reported. The plane crashed and caught fire.

The pilot was able to get out of the plane, police said. Troopers who got to the crash site pulled him away, and he was transported by air to an Oklahoma City hospital.

The plane, a Cessna, is used by the highway patrol. The cause of the crash is under investigation.