A couple from Vermont escaped injury Thursday when their small plane crashed into the side of the Bigelow Mountain Range in bad weather, authorities said.

The floatplane was headed to the Greenville International Seaplane Fly-In when it crashed in Wyman Township, a section of unorganized territory just north of Carrabassett Valley, according to a news release from Maine Department of Public Safety Spokesman Steve McCausland.

Frank Gibney, of Colchester, Vermont, is the owner of the plane and was piloting it around 10:30 a.m. Thursday when the crash occurred.

Gibney told troopers he was flying alongside another plane, piloted by a friend, when he lost visibility because of the weather and crashed into trees.

Gibney and his passenger, Diane Muhr, also of Colchester, were uninjured. The pair are in their mid-60s and hiked up the mountain about half a mile to the Appalachian Trail, McCausland said.

Meanwhile, the friend notified the Maine Warden Service in Greenville and a team of game wardens, forest rangers and state troopers responded to the scene.

First responders from Carrabassett Valley, Eustis and Kingfield also responded and a Maine Forest Service helicopter helped transport responders to the mountain.

The crash will be investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration, which will send an investigator to the scene.

Rachel Ohm — 612-2368

rohm@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @rachel_ohm

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