Federal investigators are on the scene of yesterday's plane crash at the North Las Vegas Airport. Eyewitness News was the first to bring you the images after our Skywitness 8 pilot saw smoke coming from the airport.

The private plane was taking off when it smashed into the ground. The plane was broken in two and the cockpit smashed beyond recognition.

Our cameras caught a passenger pulling one of the other victims to safety and then going back for the third. Miraculously, all three made it out alive.

Chris Tuman, Skywitness 8 pilot, said, "From the damage I saw, I was surprised to see anyone walking around."

And Brian Rogers, with Southwest Ambulance, said, "After seeing what I did, somebody was watching over them."

Passenger Ron Rucker was released from UMC Thursday with minor injuries. A second passenger, Margery Kuehn-Tabor, is still being treated on Friday.

The pilot is still hospitalized, but his name and condition have not been released.

The people on that plane were on an air-attack mission for the U.S. Forest Service. They were heading to the Spring Mountains to inspect seven fires sparked by lightning.

Despite the 7-UP logo, the plane was actually owned by Commander Northwest, which is approved for use with the forest service.

(Jul. 21) -- Three people are lucky to be alive after their plane crashed at the North Las Vegas Airport. The plane was taking off on it's way up for a U.S. Forest Service mission when it went down smashing into the ground.

The plane crashed at around 5 p.m. Thursday. Eyewitness News was the first on the scene just moments after the plane crashed.

Crews worked Thursday night trying to find out what exactly happened. Experienced pilots and paramedics who were at the scene say they are surprised the three passengers survived.

Federal investigators are expected to be at the airport today to view the wreckage and begin their investigation.

The plane sustained substantial damage to the nose and cabin of the aircraft. The aircraft, a 1964 Aero Twin Commander, is registered in Anchorage, Alaska and was contracted to the U.S. Forest Service.

Although the call letters on the plane are N7UP, the 7-UP company no longer owns the plane.

North Las Vegas Fire helped pulled passengers from the wreckage. Two passengers and a pilot were onboard. They were all transported to University Medical Center.

One passenger, Ron Rucker, a smoke jumper from Redmond, Oregon was released from the hospital on Thursday.  He suffered minor injuries.

The identities of the pilot and other passenger have not been released but they are expected to survive.

The group was on an "air attack" mission which involves supervision of aerial firefighting as well as assessing fires from the air.

All three people on board survived the crash, amazing when you consider the cockpit area was slashed off on impact. The process of determining why this plane went down is now underway.

By mid morning, investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board were on scene at the North Las Vegas Airport looking into the crushed shell of the airplane, hoping to find clues.

Bob Crowder, with the U.S. Forest Service, said, "They'll go out and they do recon for us. They'll let us know how many fires they got."

Crowder says the agency used that particular plane to fly fire surveillance missions. The plane was headed for the Spring Mountains when it crashed shortly after take-off.

"All firefighters have what we call a red card and it says exactly what we're carded for, proficiencies involved and all them. Well with aircraft and pilots, it's the same thing," Crowder explained.

The airplane is more than 40 years old. It is an Aero Commander model aircraft. The same type of plane that made an emergency landing in North Las Vegas in early May.

Jerry Garapich said, "It was like deja-vu. I turned on channel 8. I saw the plane laying on the ground and then I heard a report that it was something that just happened."

Jerry Garapich was the pilot of that plane. He was forced to do so after his friend suffered a fatal heart attack at the controls. Garapich told Eyewitness News he finds the situation amazing. "What shocked me was the damage to the nose of this plane from the passenger door forward, which is the whole cockpit area. I'm just surprised anyone could have survived that."

Garapich says he was questioned about the crash only twice: once by local federal aviation administration officials and then again by an insurance company. "It was probably a very short investigation. I mean what do you do? The pilot collapses and passenger takes over plane."

The names of two of the three people are known. Ron Rucker was treated and released from UMC. Margery Kuehn-Tabor remains hospitalized with injuries.

The name of the third person that was injured is not known at this time.

NTSB investigators will work through the weekend reviewing the crash site and talking to those who were on board when it went down.

It's a Sukhoi SU-26. The accident occurred on Oct 31, 2003 at the Twin Ring Motegi race track in Tochigi, Japan during the Haute Voltige Aerobatics Grand Prix. The pilot, Alexandre Krotov from Russia survived the accident. The plane's left wing clipped a light pole. Luckiest man alive on that day!! link