KENTWOOD - A preliminary report from federal authorities on the May 3 crash of a private plane in Kentwood indicates that the plane made an "uncommanded and abrupt pitch up" just after taking off from a grass strip runway.

The report from the National Transportation Safety Board said the pilot was seriously injured and a passenger had minor injuries after the Cessna 182P stalled and crashed shortly after takeoff.

The pilot told investigators that after clearing treetops on takeoff, he turned the plane in the direction of his destination, which was Leesville, La. At that point, the plane made the pitch up, which means the nose of the plane tilted upwards.

The pilot tried to counteract the pitch up by adjusting the control yoke and other mechanisms. Those adjustments did not fix the problem, the report said, and the plane stalled and then crashed.

The passenger was able to get herself and the pilot out of the badly-damaged plane, the report said.

NTSB did not visit the crash site after the crash but has retained the wreckage for further investigation, the report said.