A passenger in a light aircraft had to grab the controls and successfully crash-landed the plane - after the pilot passed out in the cockpit.

The woman passenger had to wrestle the controls of the 2006 Piper Meridian from the pilot after the 79-year-old collapsed during its descent to the runway.

She managed to control the airplane and steadied the descent before crash landing - losing one wing as it hit the runway.

Video shows the aftermath of the crash where the plane can be seen in a field near Martha's Vineyard Airport, Massachusetts, USA, surrounded by emergency service crews.

Police confirmed the pilot was taken to a Boston hospital in a life-threatening condition, while the passenger was unharmed.

Both passenger and pilot are believed to be from Connecticut, and set off from West Chester, New York, earlier in the day.

State police, Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash.