The small aircraft that crashed Monday into the backyard of an Inverness home has been removed.

The Beechcraft BE 36 aircraft crashed into the backyard of a home at 743 Carnegie Drive shortly before 4 p.m.

Officials said pilot Joe Rondel Smith, 67, was heading to Ocala when he started experiencing engine troubles, so he tried to divert his flight to Inverness Airport.

Instead, Smith came up a bit short. He ended up clipping the roof of the home and a power pole before crashing in the backyard.

Smith was taken to the hospital for treatment of minor injuries.

On Tuesday, the plane was loaded onto a flat-bed trailer and hauled out of the backyard. Crews then cut the wings off so the plane is easier to transport.

Neighbor Cassey Chisholm heard the plane crash on Monday. She came out Tuesday to watch crews remove it from the backyard. She said she's glad it missed her house and that nobody was hurt.

"It's crazy," she said. "It could have hit us, yeah."

Neighbor Michael Rucker didn't see the crash happen, but he heard it.

"Just, all of the sudden, just one big bang, you know, like an explosion," he said.

Rucker said it's been exciting, but he's ready for the neighborhood to get back to normal again.

Investigators are still trying to determine why the plane crashed.