A pilot escaped a plane crash Friday after he had to be extricated from the wreckage at the Bessemer airport Friday afternoon.

The 52-year-old pilot crashed his plane at the Bessemer Municipal Airport on Mitchell Field Road a little after 4 p.m. Friday as he was trying to land his plane, local news sources report.

The pilot was reportedly having problems with his landing gear and ended up crashing off the runway.

The pilot, who was the only person in the aircraft, was taken to a Birmingham hospital for treatment.