Pilot in Union County aircraft crash released from hospital Sunday

UNION COUNTY, NC (WBTV) - The Union County Sheriff's Office says the pilot of a ultralight aircraft was taken to the hospital after crashing in Union County. Sunday, officials say he was released from the hospital Sunday.

The crash happened near Poplin Road around 3:30 Saturday afternoon.

Officials say Robert Schroll was airlifted to Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte. He reportedly suffered a concussion and a couple of neck fractures.

Trooper Dustin Grieve with the North Carolina State Highway Patrol said the pilot was conscious and alert when he was transported. He said the man was airlifted to the hospital as more of a precaution than anything else.

"It definitely could have been a lot worse. There is always that possibility, but we were lucky today that it wasn't as bad as it could have been," said Grieve.

Robert Price, the man who owns the property where the plane crashed, said he got a call about the crash Saturday afternoon.

"This our farm. This is our home. Toys are replaceable, lives aren't, and that's what we talked about the last 40 minutes on the road-hoping nobody got hurt," said Price.

No details have been released about why the ultralight crashed. An investigation is underway.

Grieves said troopers will do routine patrols in the area to make sure nobody is taking parts of the plane. He said representatives from the Federal Aviation Administration were being called in to help investigate the crash.

Copyright 2015 WBTV. All Rights Reserved.