A plane crash in Burlington County leaves one injured
“He took off, and the engine wasn’t making power,” an employee said. “He didn’t even clear a hundred feet.”
A man was injured and airlifted to a local hospital after he crashed his plane only moments after takeoff in Burlington County Friday morning.
After the plane, a Piper PA-28, took off from the runway at Flying W Airport in Lumberton around 9:30 a.m., an airport employee said he noticed the plane failed to climb in the air before the pilot turned left into a nearby field to land, said the employee who was not authorized to discuss the incident. The pilot was the only person on board, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
“He took off, and the engine wasn’t making power,” the airport employee said. “He didn’t even clear a hundred feet.”
Lumbertown Township Police received a call shortly after 9 a.m. and found one man injured as a result of the crash, said Lumbertown Police Lt. Christopher Cheesman. The plane, which was registered to Freeflight Aviation, an aviation school that operates out of the Flying W, was found smoldering when first responders arrived. Freeflight Aviation could not immediately be reached for comment.
The pilot was taken by helicopter to a local hospital. “They were conscious and alert following the crash,” Cheesman said.
No visible smoke could be seen in the direction of the airport at 60 Fostertown Road. Two hours after the crash, the morning air at the airport was crisp, with clear skies, and changing fall leaves frosting the treetops.
Lumbertown Township Police are closing off and holding down the scene until federal investigators arrive. Fostertown Road will remain closed at Main Street for an undisclosed amount of time.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are taking over the investigation into the plane crash.
The aircraft that crashed on Friday morning was registered with the FAA as a Piper PA-28-181, a 24-foot-long single-engine aircraft that can fit up to four passengers. These low-wing design, fixed-landing-gear planes are powered by a 180-horsepower Lycoming four-cylinder piston engine.
In 2017, a deadly helicopter crash led to the death of country singer Troy Gentry, half of the country music duo Montgomery Gentry, and the pilot at the Flying W Airport hours before the artist was due to perform there. The NTSB ruled that pilot error following engine maintenance problems caused the 2017 crash.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
