Small plane crash near Teterboro Airport: Pilot and Indian co-pilot escapes miraculously

Teterboro: A small plane approaching Teterboro Airport ferrying blood specimens crashed in a parking lot on Route 46 early this morning, but the pilot and co-pilot walked away from the fiery wreckage on their own, authorities said.
The pilot, identified by his employer as George Maddox of Sinking Springs, Pa., was taken to St. Barnabas Medical Center, hospital spokeswoman Sally Malech told the Associated Press. She said Maddox, 54, was in critical condition at the hospital's burn unit.
The co-pilot, identified by his employer as Sanil Gopinath of Laurel, Md., was initially taken to Hackensack Medical Center, but the 42-year-old was expected to be taken to St. Barnabas, which has the state's only burn unit. Gopinath is in serious but not critical condition.
At about 3:05 a.m., the plane tried to abort a landing at the airport but then flew over the highway, clipped a 35-foot tree in front of a business and crashed into a grassy area of a neighboring warehouse parking lot, authorities said. Both victims are at St. Barnabas Medical Center with serious burn injuries, police said.
Teterboro is the same airport where a plane took off earlier this month before colliding with a sightseeing helicopter over the Hudson River. Nine people were killed aboard the two aircraft.
According to police, both victims crawled out of the plane and walked to a bus stop. Bergen County police officer Jason Trignano witnessed the crash and immediately went to the scene to find the two sitting on a curb by the stop, Lt. Christine Francois with Bergen County police said. The two were conscious and speaking when Trignano arrived, Francois said.
The twin-engine Beechcraft left Pottstown, Pa. carrying blood specimens for Quest Diagnostics. The main lab in the New York metropolitan area is in Teterboro near the airport, said Gary Samuels, spokesperson for Quest Diagnostics.
The plane was cleared to land on Runway 1 at Teterboro, said Jim Peters, a spokesman with the Federal Aviation Administration.
"We don't know if he touched down and then overflew the runway or tried to power up and go around the airport," Peters said. The plane hit the parking lot upright and burst into flames, Peters said.
Debris are scattered throughout the area, and the plane is in multiple pieces. No debris was found on the runway, and no power lines located by the intersection were hit, according to Bob Fretz, senior air safety investigator for the National Transportation Safety Board.
Little Ferry police officer Adam Warne, who was among the first to respond to the scene, said he was taken aback to find the men alive and talking after the crash.
"The one who had more burns sat there and was in a daze," he said. "I saw the wreckage, they both said 'We were in the plane.' I was a little taken back, you know."
Mitsu Yasukawa/The Star LedgerA detective takes a close look at the wreckage of a small plane that crashed near Teterboro Airport.
21/08/09 Christopher Dela Cruz/The Star-Ledger/nj.com, USA

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Categories: Foreign Aug 2009, Safety Aug 2009