New Jersey skydiving company says pilot tried emergency landing but plane went off runway into woods

MONROE TOWNSHIP N J AP The pilot of a skydiving organization encountered mechanical issues that prompted an exigency landing at a small New Jersey airport but could not get the plane stopped at the end of the runway the company stated in a comment Thursday Skydive Cross Keys revealed the plane was at an altitude of about feet meters when the issue arose Fifteen people were aboard the plane and as of Thursday afternoon three remained in critical condition at a New Jersey hospital and five others were listed as serious The single engine Cessna B radioed about having engine trouble after takeoff and crashed on landing around p m Wednesday at Cross Keys Airport about miles kilometers southeast of Philadelphia agents disclosed An initial statement posted Thursday by the Federal Aviation Administration disclosed the aircraft with passengers and one crew member crashed while returning to the airport after a runway excursion into trees Monroe Township Police Chief John McBride commented he was among the first rescuers to arrive at the crash finding the majority of the casualties out of the plane and crawling on the ground Certain were still trying to remove their parachutes Fire crews had to cut down trees to get to the wreckage which McBride revealed was fully mangled just beyond repair It just looked like a big pile of metal Less-injured casualties were tending to more seriously hurt people Particular were screaming in pain and casualties were covered in jet fuel It was chaotic McBride explained at a Thursday news conference Officers are hollering for assistance trying to calm everyone down Cooper University Hospital spokesperson Wendy A Marano revealed all eight of the patients at the hospital in Camden suffered blunt force trauma including injuries to their extremities and soft tissue damage Township emergency agents had noted three casualties were taken to Inspira Biological Center Mullica Hill but the hospital s spokesperson announced that while its exigency therapeutic responders treated casualties at the scene none were taken to Inspira facilities Only one of the people refused diagnostic restoration McBride declared that when he advised the man he had a facial injury and needed care his response was It ll be something cool to tell the ladies later In its comment Skydive Cross Keys stated three people were unhurt and none of the injuries is thought to be life-threatening It declared the plane was up-to-date on scheduled maintenance and had in recent times been inspected by the FAA The company described the unnamed pilot as experienced The plane did try to circle back and attempt a landing we are reported but was unsuccessful in that attempt Andrew Halter with Gloucester County Exigency Management stated during a news conference Wednesday night Just the fact that we have people that are still with us here nowadays a few with minor injuries I think is fantastic and remarkable he revealed Halter announced the aircraft is owned and operated by ARNE Aviation out of Virginia and leased to Skydive Cross Keys A message seeking comment was left Thursday morning for ARNE Aviation Federal agencies are exploring the crash