FARGO - One of two men injured in the crash of a small airplane was listed in critical condition early Sunday after the aircraft skidded to stop on the front lawn of a home here.

The single-engine plane clipped a light pole and a parked vehicle in the residential neighborhood before coming to rest just short of a single-story house, witnesses and officials said.

Injured were James George III, owner of a Fargo flight school, and Craig Sutter, one of the firm's employees, said Guy Kittelson, an area pilot and a client of George's.

A nursing supervisor at Fargo's MeritCare hospital said George was listed in critical condition early Sunday. The hospital declined to release any information about Sutter.

Both men suffered numerous cuts and bruises, and one may have broken a limb, assistant Fargo Fire Chief Larry Schuh said.

"This could have been a lot worse," Schuh said.

The crash happened about 2 p.m. Saturday in a north Fargo neighborhood, about a mile from the city's airport.

Gina Powers said her 12-year-old daughter, Cheryl, watched from the kitchen as the Cessna smashed into an SUV parked in the driveway and skidded toward their home.

"We're feeling pretty lucky tonight," Gina Powers said Saturday. "If it wasn't for that (Ford) Bronco, the plane would have been in our front living room."

Kittelson said George did "one heck of a job" to avoid hitting any people or homes. It appeared George sacrificed the plane when he should have, Kittelson said.

Witnesses said single-engine craft with four seats was flying from the east and turned north before losing altitude.

Neighborhood resident Alison Santer said she looked outside after hearing the wreck. "I thought it was a car crash. Then I saw a plane sitting in the yard," she said.

Motorist Terry Reynen said he was driving in the area when he noticed a low-flying plane to the east. "It scared the hell out of me," Reynen said.

Reynen said he stopped his vehicle as the plane approached to avoid being hit. The retired physical therapist then went to help.

Reynen said he tried to calm one of the injured men and removed some wreckage so the victim could stretch out. The other man was pinned beneath a wing.

The FAA is investigating Saturday's crash but had no information to release by Saturday night.