Valley Center

Two men were critically injured Monday when their single-engine plane plunged to the ground moments after taking off from Blackington Airstrip in Valley Center. San Diego County sheriff’s deputies said Kenneth Barwick, 38, of Huntington Beach was piloting the Piper Warrior and that Gary Barnie was a passenger when the plane took off at about 1:20 p.m.

According to witnesses, the plane lost power and began to lose altitude. A wing clipped a tree and the plane “cartwheeled” to the ground, deputies said. Investigators from the Federal Aviation Administration were called to the scene.

On Monday night, Barwick was listed in critical condition at Sharp Memorial Hospital with head injuries, multiple facial fractures and severe chest injuries.

Barnie, whose address was not available, was also listed in critical condition at the La Jolla hospital with multiple broken bones and internal injuries. A hospital spokeswoman said Barnie was still in surgery at 9 p.m.