Houston restaurant owner injured in plane crash in median south of Diboll

ANGELINA COUNTY, TX (KTRE) - A Houston man has been flown to a Houston hospital for injuries he suffered in a twin-engine plane crash on US 59 south of Diboll Friday morning.

"To see it actually come down and land right there beside you, it was like, 'Wow," but I've never actually seen it," said Jared Swenson, a motorist who witnessed the plane crash. "As I got closer, I realized his propellers weren't spinning."

Officials from FAA are investigating the crash.

DPS had to shut down part of the northbound lane, as part of a wing was on the highway. The scene was cleared by 4:15 p.m.

According to DPS, the Cessna 421B twin-engine took off from the Angelina County airport and was on its way to Houston. After takeoff, the plane experienced some type of mechanical issue and went down into the inside southbound lane of US 59, then skidded into the grassy median.

"How many times do you see a plane descend, see the whole process, as the fuselage and the plane actually takes the load, bounces right next to you, and skids to a stop in the middle of 59? Not very often," Swenson said.

Swenson said the pilot was both blessed and skilled. He added that it looked as though the pilot made a decision about where to land as the plane was going down.

The pilot and his passengers were stunned bu coherent when Swenson approached them. Swenson explained that one passenger kept thanking him and trying to hand him a business card. He told the man to just lie down.

Swenson said it wasn't like any other drive to the office.

The pilot is Edd Campbell Hendee. He and his two passengers were taken to a Lufkin hospital for treatment.

According to CHI St. Luke's Memorial Hospital spokeswoman Yana Ogletree, Hendee was flown to a Houston hospital. He is in stable condition.

Hendee is the owner of Taste of Texas, a well-known Houston restaurant.

Copyright 2015 KTRE. All rights reserved.