Colonia, New Jersey — Investigators are trying to figure out what caused a deadly plane crash in Colonia, New Jersey, about 20 miles southwest of New York City. The pilot was killed but remarkably, no one else was hurt.
The plane, which was coming from Virginia, was headed to a New Jersey airport about 5 miles from the crash site. When it went down, the plane burst into flames, and the fire spread to several homes.
“I heard a plane that sounded like it was really low and then I heard this loud house-shaking bang,” said Stephen Smith, who lives on the same street. “The flames were about 30 to 40 feet high.”
The pilot was the only person onboard. The Cessna crashed through two floors to the basement. An investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board said the pilot was communicating with air traffic control, but the plane eventually lost radar contact and there’s no indication at this point that a distress call was made.
Woodbridge Mayor Sean McCormack said luckily a family of three, including a 5-year-old girl, was not home at the time.
“People are shocked. But yet relief no one was hurt,” McCormack said.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the NTSB are both investigating the crash.
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