OFF THE RUNWAY

Skydiving Plane Crashes in Mass Casualty Emergency

Fifteen people were rushed to the hospital, some drenched in aircraft fuel, but officials say all escaped with their lives.

It could have been far worse. Emergency responders declared a mass casualty incident after a skydiving plane carrying 15 people crash-landed in New Jersey, but officials said that all aboard survived, although some had severe injuries. The group took off in a Cessna 208B from Cross Keys Airport on Wednesday evening to perform a skydive, but the pilot reported engine trouble just minutes into the flight. He attempted to circle back and land on the runway, but overshot the tarmac and landed hard in the nearby woods. All those aboard were sent to hospital, some still drenched in fuel. Andrew Halter, from the Gloucester County Office of Emergency Management, said it was “amazing” there were no fatalities. “Just the fact that we have 15 people that are still with us here today, some with minor injuries, I think is fantastic and remarkable,” he said, according to the Associated Press. The crash is being investigated by various agencies, including the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board. The same plane overshot a different runway in an incident in 2023.