Pilot in Saturday Crash in Doylestown Has Died

John M. Szabo, the pilot involved in a plane crash Saturday in Doylestown, has died.

Giselle Zayon, a spokeswoman for Temple University Hospital, told Patch this afternoon that Szabo passed away as a result of injuries sustained in a crash of his small experimental plane.

Szabo was 69. He was a resident of the New Hope section of Buckinham Township. Szabo's plane crashed after taking off from Doylestown Airport, which hosted an open house Saturday.

Officials say he may have been trying to make an emergency landing on the highway when his plane got tangled in power lines and caught fire.

A man and his daughter who saw the crash and stopped to help told the Intelligencer they saw Szabo engulfed in flames. The single-engine plane known as a "cricket" was home built, according to Philly.com.

Patch reader Lee Swanson posted the following comment on a story Patch wrote earlier about the plane crash:

"I have known and flown with John for over twenty years. His professional airmanship is above reproach. He flew helicopters in Vietnam, earning medals for heroism. Many friends and co-workers are praying for him!"

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash.