A small plane that took off from Reading Regional Airport crashed while trying to land at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey early this morning, according to New Jersey State Police. The twin-engine plane went down a little after 3:00 near Route 46 in Teterboro, seriously injuring a Berks County man who was at the controls.

[ RAW VIDEO: Police News Conference ]
[ RAW VIDEO: NTSB News Conference -- Part 1]
[ RAW VIDEO: NTSB News Conference -- Part 2 ]

[ RAW VIDEO: Plane Crash Scene (Aerial View) ]
[ RAW VIDEO: Plane Crash Scene (Ground View) ]

[ GOOGLE MAP ]
  
Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Jim Peters said the pilot was cleared to land the twin-engine Beechcraft baron on Runway 1 but aborted the attempt for some reason and attempted a go-around before clipping some trees and ending up in the parking lot of a nearby warehouse on Route 46.

The two men on board walked away from the wreckage, according to officials, although both were taken to area hospitals. The pilot, identified as George Maddox, 54, of Spring Township, Berks County (pictured), was taken to St. Barnabas Medical Center, according to a hospital spokeswoman. She says he's in critical condition in the hospital's burn unit. The co-pilot, Sanil Gopinath, 42, of Laurel, Maryland, was initially taken to a local hospital, but was later transferred to St. Barnabas, which is the state's only burn unit. He's in serious condition.

A police officer who was among the first to respond to the crash scene says he was taken aback to find the men alive and talking.

"They were sitting at the curb at the bus stop," said Officer Adam Warne. "Both of them were alert and conscious and answering questions."

Officials say the plane was carrying medical specimens for New Jersey-based Quest Diagnostics, which is located just down the street from the airport. The plane carries the specimens to a lab at Teterboro that serves the New York metropolitan area, said Quest Diagnostics' Gary Samuels. He said the flight originated at Reading Regional Airport and made stops in Pottstown; Hartford, Connecticut; Norwood, Massachusetts, before heading to Teterboro.

Joanne and Michael DeVito of nearby Little Ferry looked out at the wreckage from the back of a local building.

"It's scary," said Joanne DeVito. "The big planes come in so low you could wave at the pilot. It shakes everything in the house."

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.

View Plane Crash in a larger map

( Video won't play? CLICK HERE for some helpful suggestions )

---

e-mail story | print view | rss feeds | wireless | google desktop | podcast