Teen pilot escapes fiery plane crash at Old Bridge, NJ airport

OLD BRIDGE — A 17-year-old student pilot walked away from a small-plane crash late Sunday afternoon.

Police Chief Joseph Mandola said the Cessna Skyhawk II crashed and became engulfed in flames during a landing attempt around 4:45 p.m. at Old Bridge Airport.

The pilot, the only person on board, was not seriously hurt and was taken to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick for treatment of cuts and bruises.

Small plane makes an initial landing just before crashing at Old Bridge Airport 11/21/21 (RV12 Driver via YouTube)

Small plane takes off again after initial landing just before crashing at Old Bridge Airport 11/21/21 (RV12 Driver via YouTube)

Video of the crash posted by a flight enthusiast shows the plane briefly landing on a runway, taking off again and then crashing land on its wing. A plume of smoke can be seen coming from the plane.

"Get out, get out, get out! Run run run run run," a male voice tells the pilot.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate.

Small plane in the air after initial landing just before crashing at Old Bridge Airport 11/21/21 (RV12 Driver via YouTube)

Small plane just before crashing at Old Bridge Airport 11/21/21 (RV12 Driver via YouTube)

FAA records show the plane is registered to an owner in Jackson. The record shows the name of the owner as the aircraft's registration number.

Old Bridge Airport is a municipal-owned airport located in Old Bridge next to Raceway Park with an Englishtown mailing address.

Small plane crashing at Old Bridge Airport 11/21/21 (RV12 Driver via YouTube)

Small plane on fire after crashing at Old Bridge Airport 11/21/21 (RV12 Driver via YouTube)

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ