Plane Forced To Land in Ocean County
As if skydiving wasn’t scary enough. You’re literally going as high up into the air as a small plane can take you, and then you are jumping out of an open plane and hoping everything works out the way it’s supposed to. Now, with all of that in the back of your mind, imagine that something goes wrong with the plane. That is exactly what happened this morning in New Jersey, as a plane of skydiving students was forced to make an emergency landing in Stafford Township on Route 72 near Route 9 by a Home Depot. Lanes on both sides of Route 72 were closed for an hour and a half as Stafford police investigated. The landing occurred shortly after 10 in the morning, as police say they responded at 10:13.
What Went Wrong with the Plane?
Five people – three skydiving students, their instructor, and the pilot – were aboard the plane this morning, which belonged to the Skydive East Coast skydiving school. Not long after the plane took flight at a nearby airport, it lost power. Currently, no reason for the loss of power has been determined. The pilot was forced to make the emergency landing, and thankfully was able to successfully land on the grass between the lanes.
Was Anyone Hurt in the Emergency Landing?
Technically, yes. But don’t worry, it was just a small cut on the arm of the instructor. Mercifully, no other injuries were reported from the emergency landing. Similarly, no vehicles driving along Route 72 were impacted by the landing. All in all, it was arguably the best case scenario for an emergency landing. Frankly, the most amount of damage done was a minor scrape to the plane as it made the emergency landing on the median strip of the highway. The cause of this damage? According to a picture posted to the Stafford police’s Facebook page, hitting a sign that urged vehicles to stay off of the median strip. Whoops!
What Are The Next Steps Being Taken?
Well, with no major injuries, crashes, or structural damage occurring in Stafford, the township’s police don’t have much else to investigate about the emergency landing. Further investigation of the emergency landing will be handled by the Federal Aviation Administration.
