Small airplane goes down near I-17 in north Phoenix

PHOENIX (KSAZ) - Just bumps and bruises. Those are the injuries three people walked away with after a small plane crashed and flipped in north Phoenix near Interstate 17 and Dove Valley Road on Tuesday.

The crash happened shortly after the pilot took off from Deer Valley Airport.

>>VIDEO: Small airplane crashes in north Phoenix

The three men inside the plane have quite a story to tell. They were on board when it went down in the desert, somehow landing on its roof.

"They were super fortunate to be able to extricate themselves out of the aircraft," said Aaron Ernsberger of the Phoenix Fire Department. "They were all young males, all believed to be in their early 20s."

The pilot and two passengers had minor injuries, including cuts and bruises. They were each transported to an area hospital by ambulance.

The 18-year-old plane took off from Deer Valley Airport and it is registered to the owner of Westwind School of Aeronautics, a flight training school. The company's website states it offers advanced training programs and admits students from all over the world.

Westwind employees told FOX 10 "we have no comment at this time."

In the last few weeks, the plane's activity log shows it was flown daily, logging several short flights a day in and out of this airport. This time, however, it didn't make it back.

After landing upside down, the three people inside were able to open the door and climb out of the plane on their own.

"They were all talking. They were able to walk themselves out, so it is a very, very lucky chain of events for the folks inside the airplane for sure," said Ernsberger.

The pilot reportedly told dispatchers the plane was experiencing engine problems before it went down. The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate what caused the plane crash.