Three patients were airlifted to safety without serious injury after their small plane crashed into a snowy mountain in Manchester, Vermont, early Wednesday, officials said.
"The snow helped cushion the fall," Jamie Greene, the first assistant chief at the Manchester Fire Department, said at a news conference.
Three people were on board the Piper PA-28 when it crashed on the side of Mount Equinox around 3:50 a.m., according to the Federal Aviation Administration and Manchester Fire Department.
MORE: Southwest plane lands safely in Chicago after close call with jet that went on runway without authorizationAt 8:33 a.m., the pilot called 911 reporting the crash and said all three people on board had non-life-threatening injuries, Greene said.
All patients have been rescued from the scene and taken to hospitals, Greene said. One patient was airlifted to Albany Medical Center for further evaluation, he said.
MORE: Haze or smoke on Delta plane forces passengers to evacuate via slides at Atlanta airportThe fire department praised the first responders, saying they worked in 4 feet of snow to reach the victims.
"It was waist-deep in snow. ... It was very rugged terrain, but our guys pushed through," Greene said.
The cause of the accident is not known, Greene said. The plane has been located and the FAA will investigate the incident.