A passenger took control of a small plane and guided it to a crash landing Saturday in Massachusetts after the pilot suffered a medical emergency, authorities said.

Massachusetts State Police said the plane was making its final approach to Martha’s Vineyard Airport when the 79-year-old male pilot began suffering from an undisclosed medical condition around 3:15 p.m.

The 68-year-old female passenger took control and steered the 2006 Piper Meridian into “a hard landing outside the runway that caused the aircraft’s left wing to break in half,” police said.

The passenger and the pilot were rushed to a hospital. The pilot was then flown to a hospital in Boston in life-threatening condition. The passenger wasn’t injured and was released from the hospital.

Neither person was identified by authorities, but police said both are Connecticut residents.

The plane departed from Westchester County, New York, earlier in the afternoon.

The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation with the help of the Federal Aviation Administration and state police.

• This article is based in part on wire service reports.

• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.