A pilot who was injured when his small plane crashed in Mercer County Friday night is hospitalized in critical condition, according to state police.

Fred Murrin, of Greenville, Mercer County, was taken to St. Elizabeth Hospital in Youngstown, Ohio. He is believed to be 55.

Emergency dispatchers said the plane nose-dived in the woods behind the Greenville Municipal Airport around 8:30 p.m.

Investigators yesterday had not determined the cause of the crash.

First Published: July 15, 2007, 4:00 a.m.