SOUTH THOMASTON, Maine (AP) — A 75-year-old pilot says he’ll need a new hobby after the plane he rebuilt over a period of years crashed upon takeoff in Maine.

William Hamilton of Damariscotta says his Cessna 120 seemed to lose power before clipping a tree and crashing in a field in South Thomaston.

Hamilton suffered cuts and bruises, but he’s thankful to be alive. He says he managed to crawl to safety as the wreckage caught fire Sunday afternoon.

He tells the Portland Press Herald that he planned to take off from Knox County Regional Airport and go on a sightseeing flight over Damariscotta Lake.

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