Two people were rushed to hospital, one in critical condition, after a small Cessna plane struck power lines in a crash just north of Duncan airport.

A spokesman for the Transportation Safety Board confirmed two people, a pilot and instructor from the Victoria Flying Club, were aboard the Cessna 172 when it went down Thursday afternoon just after 1 p.m.

The plane took down several power lines in the vicinity of the airport and crashed into a field, Bill Yearwood said.

The student pilot, a man, was able to pull himself out of the plane and called 911.

He was in good condition and still walking and talking when first responders showed up, while a female instructor was trapped in the plane for about two hours and had to be extricated.

BC Ambulance Service reported it was a “complicated” response because of the downed power lines.

“The ability of rescue crews to get on scene was hampered by the fact that the lines were still live. We had to wait for BC Hydro to mitigate the situation before we were able to get to the aircraft,” said Tyrone Trotter of BCAS.

“It was a complex scene that involved several different agencies trying to work in a timely manner to achieve safe access to the patients and timely transport to the hospital.”

Two air ambulances and three ground ambulances were called to the scene and Duncan Fire also responded to the crash.

One person was airlifted to hospital in critical condition while the other was taken by ground ambulance in stable condition, BC Emergency Health Services confirmed.

The Victoria Flying Club confirmed it was likely a training flight. The Transportation Safety Board said the plane was conducting a "touch-and-go" maneuver moments before the crash, which means it was taking off immediately after it had landed.

BC Hydro also confirmed that the plane had struck its power lines, causing a 20-minute service interruption in the area.

The Transportation Safety Board said it was assessing the situation to determine what level of investigation it will take part in.

The Duncan airport was shut down while investigators probed the crash scene.