By Ashley Pemberton
A horror skydiving plane crash has left three people fighting for their lives and 11 more passengers hospitalised. The aircraft, which was carrying 15 people, reported engine trouble shortly after take-off before it crashed into a tree at the end of a runway at a small airport in New Jersey in the US. Emergency services were scrambled to the scene at Cross Keys Airport at around 5.30pm local time on Wednesday afternoon. The airport is in Williamstown, around 21miles southeast of Philadelphia. Horrifying video footage shows some of the injured being stretchered off the single-engine Cessna 208B amid a huge emergency response, involving police, fire and ambulance services. Andrew Halter, of the Gloucester County Emergency Management, said crews found ‘extensive damage’ to the plane and many of the injured were covered in jet fuel. He said: “Patients were decontaminated prior to being transported to the hospital. There were 15 souls on board in the aircraft, including the pilot.” Officials said 14 people, including the pilot, were hospitalised for their injuries and three people who were airlifted from the scene were reported to be in critical condition. Mr Halter said the other injuries appear to be minor and one of the people on the plane refused treatment at the scene. An investigation has been launched into what caused the crash and early findings suggest the pilot reported engine trouble before the plane crashed into a tree near the runway. He added: “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.” A spokeswoman for Cooper University Hospital in Camden, New Jersey, which has a Level One trauma center, said trauma surgeons were at the crash scene triaging the victims. Wendy Marano said three people were taken to the hospital鈥檚 trauma centre while eight others 鈥渨ith less severe injuries鈥 were being treated in the emergency department. In a post on social media immediate after the crash, Gloucester County Emergency Management urged the public to avoid the area around the airport, citing a 鈥渕ass casualty incident鈥 after a plane crash. Several agencies were responding, it said. Skydive Cross Keys describes itself as a “world class skydiving centre” and says: “We love jumping out of perfectly good airplanes. We pride ourselves in a strong culture of safety, professionalism and amazing friendly vibe. “With some of the most experienced instructors in the country, multiple turbine aircraft, and state of the art gear, our drop zone is chosen by thousands of people every year for their first time skydive. And for many, the first jump is just the beginning. We love hearing our jumpers say ‘Let’s go again’.” But the crash has left locals shook up. Sierra Kelly told a local news outlet: “Some of them planes come so close down to our house that it’s crazy. I have kids in there. Who knows if they’re going to crash into our house.” For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletter by clicking here .