Two area men escaped serious injury when their single engine aircraft crashed after attempting to take off from the East Penn Airport en route to Hazleton.

State police at Lehighton report William Martin, 56, of 221 Brown St., Tamaqua, was attempting to take off in a vintage 1943 L2B Taylor Army Observation airplane when he realized he did not have enough power. He chose to ditch the craft in a cornfield west of the runway rather than to chance continuing on or attempting to turn the craft around. The plane made it through the rows of the cornfield before coming to a halt, damaging the nose of the craft.

He and passenger Joseph Bareta, 64, of Mountain Top, refused medical treatment at the scene.