By Martin Shwenk Leade
APThis image taken from video provided by WPVI-TV/6ABC shows a small skydiving aircraft that went off the end of a runway at Cross Keys Airport in Gloucester County, N.J., on Wednesday evening, July 2, 2025. (WPVI-TV/6ABC via AP)
A routine skydiving flight turned into a rescue mission when a plane crashed into woods near Cross Keys Airport on Wednesday evening. The Cessna 208B, carrying 15 people, went off the runway about 5:30 p.m. local time, according to a Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson.Cross Keys Airport sits about 21 miles southeast of Philadelphia. Now it鈥檚 the site of a mass casualty response.Aerial shots showed the aircraft wedged between trees, its body broken, debris scattered around it like confetti nobody wanted. Firetrucks lined the dirt path leading into the woods. Stretchers moved through the trees.Helicopter video from CNN affiliate WPVI showed medical teams carrying stretchers out to helicopters waiting to lift the injured to safety. It was a tense scene.鈥淢inimal injuries鈥 and trauma casesWendy A. Marano, spokesperson for Cooper University Hospital, said, 鈥淭hree people are being evaluated at Cooper University Hospital’s trauma centre in Camden, New Jersey, and eight people with less severe injuries are being treated in its emergency department.鈥滾ive EventsShe added, 鈥淔our other patients also with 鈥榤inimal injuries鈥 are waiting for further evaluation.鈥 She could not say exactly what injuries people had suffered.Marano confirmed the hospital鈥檚 own EMS and trauma staff were present at the crash site.Officials warn public to stay awayThe Gloucester County Office of Emergency Management called it a 鈥渕ass casualty incident鈥 in a Facebook post. They asked people to steer clear. Their message was blunt: if the road鈥檚 blocked, ambulances get stuck.The plane itself has history. It belongs to a company in Virginia. In 2023, the same Cessna 208B鈥檚 nose gear collapsed during landing. The National Transportation Safety Board blamed pilot error for that earlier mishap.Data from FlightRadar24 shows that just before this latest crash, the plane was dropping fast 鈥 nearly 3,008 feet every minute 鈥 before radar contact ended.Who was at the controls?So far, no word on who was flying when things went wrong this time. Cross Keys Airport staff gave no comment and directed questions to Skydive Cross Keys. That business did not reply to emails from The Associated Press.The FAA says its investigators are on it. A spokesperson confirmed, 鈥淭he FAA is investigating the incident and will post a preliminary report, usually within one business day.鈥漈he National Transportation Safety Board told CNN it too is gathering details.While the cause remains unknown, one thing is clear 鈥 families and skydiving enthusiasts alike now wait for answers.(You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel)
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