The pilot of a small, crop duster plane was hospitalized Tuesday after his craft crashed around 8 a.m. in a sugarcane field on La. 10 west of Morganza.

According to the Pointe Coupee Parish Sheriff’s Office, Carl Comeaux of Carencro was attempting to land and load up chemicals so he could work for the day but in his approach, the plane rose suddenly in elevation and then went straight down into the ground. 

Officials say he was flying with an aviation service out of St. Landry Parish and had to be extricated from the plane by nearby field workers before it caught on fire.

He remains in a hospital in stable condition, officials say. 

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will be investigating to figure out if it was a mechanical or pilot error, officials said.