AT least 14 people have been injured after a skydiving plane crashed.
The crash, which happened at Cross Keys Airport in New Jersey, has been declared a mass casualty incident.
A skydiving plane crashed into a tree in New Jersey, leaving 14 injuredAP
A helicopter seen on the runway as emergency crews rushed to the sceneWPVI-TV
Victims on board the plane were reportedly covered in jet fuel, as reported by the ABC affiliate WPVI-TV.
Some even had to be decontaminated before they were taken to the hospital.
Fourteen people, including the pilot, were taken to the hospital after the aircraft – a Cessna 208B plane – crashed.
It experienced engine trouble as it was trying to climb before smashing into a tree.
The pilot desperately tried to get onto the ground before the crash happened.
Andrew Halter, of the Gloucester County Emergency Management, described the damage to the plane as “extensive.”
Three of the victims were rushed to the hospital in a critical condition.
Eight people had less severe injuries, a Cooper University Hospital spokesperson told The New York Times.
One person on board the aircraft refused to be treated at the scene, according to cops.
Overhead footage from WPVI showed emergency crews rushing to the scene.
An investigation into the cause of the plane crash is underway.
The Cessna 208B plane is a versatile aircraft and is often used for skydiving jumps, as well as air ambulance services.
Locals have been left horrified following the crash that happened in Williamstown – located around 24 miles from Philadelphia.
“Some of them planes come so close down to our house that it’s crazy,” Sierra Kelly told WPVI.
“I have kids in there. Who knows if they’re going to crash into our house?”
US on edge over ‘cluster’ of plane crashes
A series of devastating plane crashes, including the mid-air collision above DC that killed 67, has left Americans terrified of traveling by air.
However, aviation expert and attorney Jason Matzus told The U.S. Sun the crashes can be attributed to “random clustering.”
“While these events are tragic, the likely explanation is simply ‘random clustering,’ which occurs when multiple crashes occur over a short period, warping our general perception and causing us to think that there is an increasing trend in plane crashes,” Matzus said.
“When in reality these crashes, despite being so close together, are merely coincidental and not caused by a systemic safety issue.”
The short period Matzus referred to was just a matter of three weeks. The aviation mishaps included:
January 29 – A military helicopter and American Airlines plane collided at the Washington DC airport, killing 67 people
January 31 – An air ambulance carrying a 6-year-old girl and her mom crashed on a street in Philadelphia, killing seven people in total
February 5 – A Japan Airlines flight hit a parked Delta plane at Seattle SeaTac Airport and no one was injured
February 6 – A small commuter plane on its way to Nome, Alaska, crashed killing all 10 people on board
February 10 – Motley Crue singer Vince Neil’s private jet collided with another plane, killing the pilot and injuring four others
February 17 – A Delta plane crashed on the runway at Toronto Pearson International Airport, miraculously killing no one but injuring 21
February 19 – Two planes collided at Marana Airport in Arizona, killing two people
February 24 – Smoke filled a Delta Airlines flight cabin forcing passengers to evacuate by a slide after making an emergency landing in Atlanta
March 9 – A Beechcraft Bonanza aircraft crashed into a retirement village parking lot in Manheim, Pennsylvania
March 13 – An American Airlines jet engine erupted into flames at the Denver airport, forcing passengers to escape onto the plane’s wing
GCEM officials urged residents to avoid the airfield after receiving reports of the crash.
Skydive Cross Keys is dubbed as the “happiest dropzone on the East Coast,” according to its website.
The New Jersey smash comes days after a wealthy steel tycoon and his family were killed in a fiery plane crash.
James Weller, the owner of Liberty Steel Industries Inc., his wife Veronica, 68, and their son John, 36, were on board the doomed Cessna 441 jet.
It went down just moments after taking off from Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport.
The plane was en-route to Bozeman, Montana, and the family was about to enjoy a vacation.
A string of aviation disasters have been reported across the US already this year.
January’s crash involving an American Airlines plane and a Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River is the US’ deadliest air disaster since 2001.
Sixty-seven people were killed in the midair collision.
Just days after the collision over the Potomac, a girl heading back to Mexico after receiving life-saving treatment was killed in a plane crash in Philadelphia.
Seven people, including the girl’s mother, were killed after the plane burst into flames.
In February, 10 people were killed after a commuter plane in Alaska vanished off the radar.
And, a Delta plane flipped onto its roof as it landed at Toronto-Pearson airport, leaving 21 injured.
GettyThe plane involved in the crash was a Cessna 208B aircraft (stock)[/caption]
The crash happened at the Cross Keys airportAP Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
