Pilot hospitalized following plane crash near LA airport

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Authorities say a pilot was hospitalized Sunday following the crash of a small plane on railroad tracks just outside a suburban Los Angeles airfield.  The Federal Aviation Administration says the Cessna 172 crashed around 2:10 p.m., shortly after takeoff from Whiteman Airport in the San Fernando Valley community of Pacoima.  The pilot, the only person on board, was transported in unknown condition. No other injuries were reported. Photos from the scene showed the small plane came to a stop with its left wing and nose touching the pavement along the railroad tracks. Metrolink train service was halted in the area.