A small plane was picked up and thrown by the nor'easter's powerful winds at New Bedford Regional Airport early Wednesday morning.The plane's registration number and a logo on the tail link the aircraft to Bridgewater State University's Department of Aviation Science, although the registration had been canceled. Assistant airport manager Michael Crane told WPRI the Cessna's engine was removed for maintenance, causing the airframe to be lighter than usual. Strong winds picked up the plane, breaking the straps that tied it down, and dropped it into the middle of the street sometime between 5:30 and 6:30 a.m.Airport personnel pulled the damaged plane over to a fence and strapped it down again. No one was hurt. Wind gusts reported to the National Weather Service from locations in Bristol county after 5 a.m. ranged from 47 mph to 60 mph. The most powerful wind gust reported during the storm was 94 mph in Edgartown.