FAA: 2 dead, 3 missing in small plane crash at NJ airport; witness says jet was about to land

FAA: 2 dead, 3 missing in central NJ plane crash

WALL TOWNSHIP, N.J. — A small plane preparing to land broke apart and nose-dived into a snowy field alongside a runway Monday, a witness reported. Two people are dead and three people are missing after the crash, which happened in an affluent section of the state, officials said.

The crash was reported at 4 p.m. Monday at Monmouth Executive Airport, about 35 miles east of Trenton, said Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Jim Peters. The weather was overcast, but no precipitation was falling.

There’s “a very large debris field” at the airport, Peters said. Details such as who was on the plane or even what kind of plane was involved were not immediately available.

Dana McNally, 39, of Wall, told the Asbury Park Press of Neptune that she witnessed the crash. McNally said it appeared the pilot was coming in for a landing and attempted to abort. But something — possibly the tail of the plane — broke off, she said. The plane veered to the right and nose-dived into a snowy field alongside a runway, McNally said.

“It hit face-first,” McNally said. “It just went right in (to the field) nose first.”

The airport, formally known as Allaire Airport, is located near the Jersey shore. Monmouth County is a largely affluent area of central New Jersey that is home to many business executives, entertainers and upscale seashore communities.

An FAA investigator is headed to the scene.