Updated

A sheriff's deputy says authorities are hunting for the pilot of a small plane carrying a large amount of marijuana that skidded off a runway at an airport west of Houston.

John Kremmer of the Waller County Sheriff's Department says the twin-engine plane slid onto the grass Monday evening at Houston Executive Airport in Brookshire after the plane's nose gear collapsed.

He says he doesn't know how many people were aboard, but the plane was abandoned when authorities arrived.

Kremmer says several bundles of marijuana were found on the plane. The exact amount hasn't been determined, but he says it was "a lot more than just personal use."

The plane is registered to an owner in La Vernia, Texas. Kremmer says it hadn't been reported stolen.