RCMP say a man has been airlifted to Calgary following a plane crash near the Indus airport.

Strathmore RCMP say members responded to the scene of the crash after witnesses reported seeing a single person ultra-lite aircraft take off from the runway, climb roughly 400 feet and then descend.

Witnesses located the plane about two kilometres south of the airport in a field.

One of the witnesses, who wished to remain unnamed, said when they found the downed plane, the pilot was unconscious.

“He was in really bad shape,” he said. “Thank God we were here because no one would have noticed.”

Cam Heke, spokesperson for STARS, said a 59-year-old man was airlifted to the Foothills Hospital.

“The patient had sustained potentially life-threatening injuries; however, he was in stable condition while en route to hospital,” said Heke.

The incident is under investigation by Strathmore RCMP and the Transportation Safety Board.