A pilot who was injured in a small plane crash at Crest Airpark near Covington on April 7 was upgraded from critical to serious condition Monday at Harborview Medical Center, according to a hospital spokeswoman.

An eyewitness reported that he saw the plane sideways in the air and it banked hard behind some trees and homes before he lost sight of the plane, according to information provided by Tim Perciful, spokesman from Mountain View Fire and Rescue-Black Diamond Fire.

The witness immediately went to the scene where two other Crest Airpark residents were assisting with the accident.

The three men turned off the master switch to the plane to shut it off then shut off the fuel and helped stabilize the pilot’s head and neck until emergency crews showed up on scene.

When units from Mountain View Fire and Rescue-Black Diamond Fire arrived on the scene of the crash they found a small plane upside-down in front of a house with the pilot still inside, according to Perciful.

Firefighters removed the pilot and he was transported with life-threatening injuries to the local trauma center via Airlift Northwest.

The plane landed upside-down in between some trees about 15 yards in front of a home. The plane avoided hitting any homes, cars, or people in the crash.

The only significant damage to the homeowner’s property was to a few trees in the front yard.

The plane, however, was substantially damaged because of the crash.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) arrived on scene to start the investigation and moved the plane into a local  hanger for further investigation, Perciful said in the release.