Skydiving Plane Crashes in South Jersey: 14 People Injured

Fourteen people were hospitalized after a single-engine skydiving plane went down on Wednesday in Gloucester County, New Jersey. The call came in around 5:25 p.m. for a mass casualty incident at Cross Keys Airport, which is located on the 1500 block of North Tuckahoe Road in Williamstown.

When crews arrived, they found extensive damage to the plane and many victims covered in jet fuel, according to Andrew Halter with Gloucester County Emergency Management.

Before being sent to the hospital, patients were decontaminated. The pilot was one of 15 people on board the plane," he stated.

A significant response was visible from Chopper 6, as several patients were removed on stretchers.

The pilot was one of 14 persons hospitalized with various injuries, according to officials. Three individuals were reportedly in critical condition. One of the passengers on the aircraft declined care at the scene, while Halter said the other injuries seemed to be minor.

Investigators claim that prior to the disaster, the pilot reported engine trouble.

"The pilot was reportedly in an ascent at that point, and again reported some engine trouble, and that's when he was trying to circle back to make it back down onto the ground but was unable to do so," stated Halter.

Arne Aviation LLC is the owner of the Cessna 208B aircraft, which is leased to Gloucester County's Skydive Cross Keys.

The debris is located in a wooded area close to the airport, and crews will be searching through it through the night.

The exact cause of the crash is still under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board.