Skydiving Plane Goes Off Runway and Crashes at New Jersey Airport, at Least 15 Hospitalized

Name: Skydiving Plane Goes Off Runway and Crashes at New Jersey Airport, at Least 15 Hospitalized
Uploaded: 2025-07-03T12:32:17.000Z
Description: Aerial footage from the scene showed the downed plane surrounded by debris in a densely wooded area adjacent to the runway.

Aerial footage from the scene showed the downed plane surrounded by debris in a densely wooded area adjacent to the runway.

Rudy Blalock

Published: 7/2/2025, 9:10:20 PM EDT

A skydiving aircraft carrying 15 people veered off the end of a runway and crashed into a wooded area near Cross Keys Airport on Wednesday evening, sending all 15 people to the hospital.

The incident occurred around 5:30 p.m. local time as the Cessna 208B was departing from Cross Keys Airport, according to Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson Donnell Evans.

The FAA confirmed that 15 individuals were on board the aircraft, which was being used for skydiving.

Aerial footage from the scene showed the downed plane surrounded by debris in a densely wooded area adjacent to the runway. Emergency crews from multiple agencies quickly responded to the site, and officials urged the public to avoid the area to ensure emergency vehicles could access the crash site, according to a Facebook post from Gloucester County Emergency Management.

Wendy A. Marano, spokesperson for Cooper University Hospital in Camden, said that five people injured in the crash were expected to be transported to the hospital for treatment.

Members of the hospital’s EMS and trauma department also traveled to the crash site to assist with the response, Marano said. The conditions of those injured were not immediately available.

A person who answered the phone at Cross Keys Airport on Wednesday declined to provide information about the incident and referred questions to Skydive Cross Keys, a commercial skydiving business based at the airport.

The Federal Aviation Administration has launched an investigation into the cause of the crash.

This crash in Monroe Township comes amid heightened scrutiny of aviation safety following a series of recent high-profile incidents nationwide, including a fatal crash in Ohio earlier this week.

On Sunday, six people were killed when a Cessna 441 crashed shortly after takeoff from Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport in Ohio. The victims included the pilot, co-pilot, and four members of the Weller family, who were en route to Montana for a family vacation.

The wreckage was difficult to reach due to thick forest, and the crash occurred near several homes, according to Howland Township Fire Chief Raymond Pace. The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the Ohio crash.

Aviation safety data from the National Transportation Safety Board indicates there have been 105 fatal plane crashes and 446 non-fatal crashes in 2025 as of July 2, though fatal commercial plane crashes worldwide have declined since 2019.

The investigation into Wednesday’s crash at Cross Keys Airport is ongoing, and authorities have not yet released further details about the circumstances leading up to the crash.

Spokesperson for the Cross Keys Airport and Sky Dive Cross Keys did not immediately respond to a request for comment from NTD.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.