Small Plane Crashes In North Carolina After Taking Off From Southbridge

SOUTHBRIDGE (CBS) -- A couple and their two dogs are safe after their plane crashed into trees in North Carolina. The plane was headed from Southbridge to Florida on Thursday.

"6,500 feet. About as boring as you can get -- until there was silence," said Ken Brown. "Beyond a couple of things to figure out why the engine quit, there's not an awful lot to do except figure out where you're going to end up."

He and his wife Becca remained calm because the plane was equipped with a large parachute. "I really wasn't panicking. I wasn't happy, but I wasn't panicking, I'm thinking that parachute is going to save us," said Becca.

Ken added, "In this particular area, you know, there's a lot of open space so it was a good potential to land on a field."

Three minutes later, the parachute got caught on trees as the plane landed, leaving the couple dangling about five feet above the ground. Ken climbed out of the plane and down a tree to find help.

The landowner and a few neighbors retrieved Becca and dogs, Willa and Abby, with a ladder.

"For them to walk out without any scratches on them is a miracle," said the woman who helped the Browns.

At the time, the couple was over Duplin County, about 80 miles south of Raleigh. They planned on spending the night there before continuing to Florida.