August 01, 2024
AtlanticCity911/X
Pilot John Austin Bryan of Florida was uninjured after his plane crashed Wednesday in a wooded area in Galloway Township. Police say he experienced engine trouble shortly after taking off from Atlantic City International Airport.
A pilot emerged unharmed after his small plane crashed Wednesday in a wooded area near the Atlantic City International Airport, authorities said.
The plane struck a tree on the 200 block of Liebig Street in Galloway Township at 3:42 p.m., police said. The pilot, identified as John Austin Bryan, of Florida, was the only person onboard and safely exited the plane with the help of a man who called police after witnessing the crash.
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Bryan began experiencing engine trouble shortly after he took off from the Atlantic City airport, police said. The Press of Atlantic City reported he was flying a Cirrus SR22, a single-engine aircraft.
Bryan contacted air traffic control and discussed where he should land, according to an audio recording of the call posted to social media. The air traffic control official can be heard telling Bryan that the Garden State Parkway is to his left.
Bryan navigated the plane to an area away from people and vehicle traffic and then used the plane's Cirrus Airframe Parachute System, which deploys a parachute connect to the plane's frame. The system is described by Cirrus as a "revolutionary life-saving feature" that can reduce the forward velocity of the aircraft to zero in eight seconds and is credited with saving more than 250 lives. Bryan's plane crashed into the tree on its descent.
On Wednesday, pilot John Austin Bryan deployed his aircraft's parachute system when his plane experienced engine trouble shortly after taking off from the Atlantic City International Airport. Above, the parachute can be seen in the woods in Galloway Township.
Galloway Township police, Galloway Township EMS, Pomona and Germania Volunteer Fire Departments, Galloway Township OEM, New Jersey Forest Fire Service, Atlantic City International Airport Fire Department, the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board aided in the rescue and investigation.
"Although we do not deal with many plane crashes in Galloway, it was very impressive to see numerous agencies working together on this incident," Galloway Township Police Chief Richard D. Barber said in a release. "From the selfless actions of one of our citizens coming to the aid of the pilot, to the amount of first responders rushing to the scene, this is a true testament of the sense of care and community we have in Galloway Township."
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