SHERIDAN – A plane crashed in northern Chautauqua County late Thursday morning, resulting in injuries for the pilot.

At approximately 11:14 a.m., Francis Emmerling, 66, of West Seneca, departed Dunkirk Airport in a Cessna 162 single-engine plane. Emmerling was the pilot and lone occupant.

The aircraft experienced a mechanical problem upon takeoff and crashed into a wooded area between Newell Road and Middle Road in the town of Sheridan, approximately 1 mile from the airport. Deputy Kevin Link of the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office and an airport employee responded to the scene and were guided to the exact location by a private pilot in another aircraft.

Deputy Link, who is an EMT, located Emmerling, who had freed himself from the wreckage. Emmerling was transported by Starflight helicopter to ECMC for treatment of facial lacerations and a leg injury. Starflight was able to land in an adjacent field which allowed immediate evacuation from the scene. The Federal Aviation Adminstration will be assisting with the investigation.