A small plane crashed shortly after taking off Thursday afternoon from Falcon Field in Mesa, police and fire officials said.

The pilot and a passenger were able to extricate themselves from the aircraft after it came down in an orange grove.

“Shortly after takeoff the plane suffered some sort of mechanical issue, possibly a complete engine out scenario,” Mesa authorities stated in a release.

The pilot attempted to turn back to the airfield but determined the aircraft did not have enough altitude to do so. Instead, the pilot decided to put the plane down on a dirt road in an orange grove.

After touching down, the plane struck a tree stump and spun around suffering heavy damage, according to the release. There was no fire and no injuries.

The investigation was turned over to federal authorities, and the plane was removed for the area at about 7 p.m. Dec. 19.

We’d like to invite our readers to submit their civil comments on this issue. Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org.