The FAA is still investigating the cause of a plane crash that injured dozens of people on July 2 at Cross Keys Airport.
Gloucester County 911 dispatched emergency responders to the crash scene at about 5:25 p.m. First-arriving Monroe Township officers confirmed that a skydiving aircraft had crashed shortly after takeoff, causing multiple injuries, several severe, according to a joint press release from the county’s Office of Emergency Management, Monroe police and the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office.
Emergency personnel identified 15 adult occupants on board, including the pilot. The chief of the Williamstown fire department declared a Mass Casualty Incident, prompting the activation of extensive fire and EMS mutual aid. Emergency teams initiated a medical triage operation and began immediate care for the injured.
Several passengers were contaminated with jet fuel and required decontamination before transport to area hospitals. The pilot was heavily entrapped in the wreckage and required a prolonged extrication effort by fire crews as he received medical treatment, officials said.
One passenger declined medical care and the rest were taken to local hospitals, with the majority to Cooper University Hospital’s trauma center in Camden.
The aircraft, identified as a Cessna Caravan 208B single-engine turboprop, is leased by Sky Drive Cross Keys and registered to Arne Aviation LLC of Suffolk, Virginia. Preliminary information indicated the pilot reported engine trouble shortly after takeoff, officials said.
Following the crash, Monroe Mayor Gregory Wolfe said he got immediate, personal phone calls offering assistance from Gov. Phil Murphy, state Sen. Paul Moriarty, Assemblyman Cody Miller and Assemblyman Dan Hutchinson. Wolfe thanked all first responders.
“We also would like to thank the medical teams from Cooper Hospital who also responded directly to the scene to treat the victims,” he said.
The FAA is leading the investigation into the accident, with support from Monroe police and the prosecutor’s office.
