Cessna 172 lands in couple's garden

Two men were hospitalized for minor injuries in Ashford, England, after the plane they were in made an emergency landing in a retired couple's backyard.

The Cessna 172 crashed in Eileen and Alfred Watling's garden after taking off from Rochester Airport Saturday.

The pilot and passenger escaped with only minor injuries, The Mail on Sunday reported.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch was investigating the cause of the crash.

Eileen Watling, 71, who lives at the house with her 83-year-old husband, said: "It was so sudden. We'd just started watching a film when there was an almighty crash. We thought the house had collapsed.

I looked out of the window and saw the conifers had come down and there were no electricity lines. Then I saw the plane.

Copyright 2008 by United Press International