The pilot of an experimental aircraft that crashed Oct. 11 at Hensley Airpark in Chuckey remains in stable but critical condition, his wife said Monday.

Jack Cooper suffered serious spinal injuries in the crash and was a patient at Johnson City Medical Center for several weeks. He is currently at Select Specialty Hospital in Bristol, Sandra Cooper said.

"From there we will go to (a Veterans Affairs medical center) in Augusta, Ga., for spinal cord injury rehab," Sandra Cooper said.

Jack Cooper's rehabilitation period will be lengthy, his wife said.

"We have had a difficult time. It is a challenge," she said.

A witness to the crash told the Sun that the pilot was heading south on the runway, but was unable to get off the ground.

The plane was able to rise about four feet off the ground before it crashed, the witness said.

Cooper and passenger Marc Bravo are both residents of the Hensley Airpark community.

Bravo suffered minor injuries in the crash and was released from the hospital the day after the crash.

Bravo, a flight instructor, told the witness that he took control of the plane during the last three seconds of flight to avoid hitting a nearby house.