A passenger crash-landed a small plane herself after the pilot suffered a medical emergency

• A pilot on a six-seater aircraft experienced a medical emergency on Saturday afternoon.
• This led to a brave passenger taking the controls and attempting to land it herself.

A passenger on a six-seater airplane took matters into her own hands on Saturday, managing to land the aircraft herself after the pilot experienced a medical emergency, according to authorities.

The 68-year-old woman took the controls of the 2006 single-engine Piper Meridian Turbo Prop and, bringing it down in West Tisbury, Massachusetts, on Saturday at around 3:15 p.m., the local police department said in a Facebook post.

She did so after a 79-year-old male pilot experienced an unspecified medical emergency during the plane's final approach, Massachusetts State Police said in a press release.

The woman had only minor injuries after the emergency landing. The pilot was taken by helicopter to receive medical treatment in Boston.

It wasn't clear whether this was for the original medical emergency, or if he was further hurt in the landing. Police statements about the landing suggest they were the only two people flying.

The plane took off earlier from Westchester, New York, per NBC Boston.

The passenger's attempt to land the plane resulted in her crash-landing the aircraft on a grassy area near a runway at Martha's Vineyard Airport, according to state police.

The plane landed "on its belly with no landing gear," local police said, causing the plane's left wing to break in half.

The pilot had to be extricated from inside the plane before being flown to a hospital in Boston, state police said.

He was in a "serious life-threatening condition" as of Sunday, according to police.

Neither the passenger nor the pilot has been named by police.

The scene of the crash was later cleared and the aircraft was taken to a secure location at the airport, state police said.

The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation, with the Massachusetts State Police and the Federal Aviation Authority assisting, according to NBC Boston.

Martha's Vineyard Airport did not respond to Insider's request for comment.