Two injured after small plane crashes near rural airstrip in Washington State

RIDGEFIELD, Wash. (NBC, KYMA) - Two people were seriously injured after a small plane crashed Monday afternoon near a rural airstrip in Southwest Washington.

The Sessna 180 went down around 1 p.m. Pacific near Daybreak Airport, about three miles East of Ridgefield.

Two people were on board, and both were initially conscious and breathing, but the remote location made the crash difficult for emergency crews to reach.

Responders spent more than 20 minutes searching for the plane before locating it upside down in a forested area south of the airstrip, near the east of Lewis river.

With the wreckage difficult to access, crews requested a drone and prepared for a lengthy rescue.

A life flight helicopter was also placed on standby.

One occupant managed to get out of the plane but was injured, the second remained trapped inside.

Crews eventually cut away parts of the aircraft to free that person.

Both patients were then transported across the river, with one taken by ambulance and the other flown by life flight.

The FAA has temporarily shut down air traffic at Daybreak Airport, and they, along with the NTSB, are investigating.

Preliminary information indicates the plane crashed while attempting to land.