Skydiving plane with 15 people onboard goes off runway at New Jersey airport

CNN

17 hours ago

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A skydiving plane with 15 people onboard went off the end of the runway at a New Jersey airport, southeast of Philadelphia, Wednesday evening, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
According to a preliminary statement from the FAA, the Cessna 208B crashed into the woods at Cross Keys Airport around 5:30 p.m. local time.
The Gloucester County Office of Emergnecy management identified the crash as a 'mass casualty incident' in a Facebook post.
Helicopter video from CNN affiliate WPVI showed multiple stretchers being wheeled out of the woods to medical evacuation helicopters.
Five victims are being transported to Cooper University Hospital in Camden, New Jersey, according to a spokesperson. 'We actually have one of our trauma surgeons and members of our EMS crew are on site down there. So we're just waiting to see the status,' Wendy Marano told CNN.
Flight tracking data from FlightRadar24 indicates the plane was dropping rapidly at a rate of 3,008 feet per minute shortly before the tracking data ceased.
The aircraft involved, according to the website, belonged to a Virginia company and was involved an incident in 2023 that was investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board. According to the agency's records the nose gear collapsed during landing due to a pilot error.
It's not clear who was flying the plane Wednesday in New Jersey.
The FAA is investigating the incident and will post a preliminary report, usually within one business day.
CNN's Danya Gainor contributed to this report.