Pilot in critical condition after small plane crashes at La Porte Municipal Airport

LA PORTE, Texas – A pilot was hospitalized following a small plane crash Monday morning at the La Porte Municipal Airport, according to the La Porte Office of Emergency Management.

The crash was reported at 9:50 a.m.

At 8:40 a.m., officials said the single-engine aircraft was approaching the airport when it experienced a mechanical issue and nose-dived into a grassy area, just short of the runway.

La Porte firefighters and EMS responded to the crash shortly after and carried the pilot, identified as Richard Henry Koll, out of the wreckage. Koll was transported via Life Flight in critical condition to Memorial Hermann Hospital in the Texas Medical.

The Texas Department of Public Safety and the Federal Aviation Administration will investigate the cause of the crash.