Small Plane Crashes After Taking Off From New Jersey Airport

Authorities say a pilot was killed when his small plane crashed shortly after taking off from a northern New Jersey airport. The plane came down near a wooded area and sparked a brush fire that has closed Passaic Avenue between Beverly Road and Fairfield Avenue in West Caldwell and Fairfield.

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Ronald Wiley, who worked with Hannon at Glass Panel Training of Lakewood, a flight school, said the pilot lived in Lakewood, grew up in Oregon and flew single engine Cessna planes out of Lakewood Airport and Monmouth Executive Airport. The National Transportation Safety Board will determine probable cause.

The crash happened behind 810 Passaic Ave.in West Caldwell, fire officials said.

Hannon had been flying for 25 years.

“He was a great guy, very friendly, great sense of humor”, said Wiley.

Neither she nor Kopf had any immediate information about those on board the plane, their conditions or where the aircraft was headed.