Small Plane Makes Emergency Crash Landing In Delaware River
By Steve Patterson
PENNSVILLE, N.J. (CBS) --- A small plane was forced to make an emergency landing in a marshy part of the Delaware River on Saturday. Two people survived the crash, and now the airplane is stuck in the mud.
Police say the single engine plane lost power in the air near Pennsville in Salem County, New Jersey (See previous story).
The plane made an emergency landing shortly before 11am on Saturday. Two men were on board when it crashed, and both of them survived.
Authorities say the plane still has 50 gallons of fuel on board.
After the crash, emergency personnel from Delaware, New Jersey, and the Coast Guard led a search for any survivors of the plane, but a Pennsville Police Lieutenant says the two men, covered in mud, simply walked out of the marsh.
"It must have just lost power," said Lieutenant Kirk Cooksey. "There are witnesses who said they saw a trail of smoke, and that was it. They walked through the muddy area to a roadway, where Delaware State Police picked them up. It's muddy, marshy, hot, it's just amazing these guys survived."
The plane is still in the mud, and police are working to make sure that none of the 50 gallons of fuel on the plane leaks out.
Police say it may take days, if not weeks, for them to clear the scene and get the plane out.
The two men on the plane have been cooperating with authorities.
Investigators from the FAA are looking into why the plane crashed.
