WENAHA — Two people from the Joseph area were hospitalized after the airplane they were in crashed in the Wenaha Wildlife Area on Friday, the Wallowa County Sheriff’s Office said.

Undersheriff Billy Wells said Monday that the crash took place about 1:30 p.m. Friday.

Both the pilot and the passenger were taken by helicopter to a hospital in Lewiston, Idaho. He said the passenger was released that night or the next day with an ankle injury. The pilot remained hospitalized, but neither person’s injuries were life-threatening, Wells said.

Their identities have not been released, but likely will be later this week, Wells said.

Wells said he does not know how many flying hours the pilot has.

“He’s a very experienced pilot,” he said. “He’s very well known in the flying community.”

The sheriff’s office and search and rescue personnel responded to the scene.

Wells said the crash was reported by an automated feature on the passenger’s Apple iPhone. The iPhone feature automatically calls 911 when it detects an impact, such as the plane crash. Another person also reported the crash, Wells said, but he had no additional information on that point.

Wells said the plane is a 1957 Piper Cub and despite its age, it has been kept in repair.

“Those things get rebuilt after so many hours,” he said.

The cause of the crash is still undetermined, Wells said.