A homemade, single-engine airplane crashed and burst into flames moments after takeoff in Pitt Meadows on Sunday.

Firefighters were called to the scene shortly after 7: 40 a.m. and found the plane in a ditch, engulfed in flames.

"The pilot was out of the plane by the time we arrived," said Pitt Meadows assistant fire chief Rob Chatton.

"The fire was fully involved and the plane was subsequently destroyed," he added.

The pilot was airlifted to Royal Columbian Hospital.

"He was definitely suffering from some burns, but I don't think they were life threatening," Chatton explained.

The plane took off and immediately began to veer right, reported Ridge Meadows RCMP Sgt. Deron Brown.

The pilot had failed in a first attempt to take off in the Mustang 2, fashioned after a Second World War-era plane, said Transportation Safety Board regional manager Bill Yearwood.

On its second attempt, the aircraft reached an altitude of about 60 metres when it lost power and crashed in a ditch near the runway, said assistant fire chief Brad Perrie.

The pilot had planned to fly the plane to Montreal in several stages.

Under Canadian aviation guidelines, any aircraft built by an amateur must obtain a special certificate of airworthiness from Transport Canada.

Before construction, the design must be approved and inspected before the first flight is taken.

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