Small plane crash kills 5 in New Jersey
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Xinhua, December 21, 2011
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has confirmed that five people were killed in a small plane crash Tuesday morning after it plummeted onto a highway in New Jersey State.
The New York investment banking firm Greenhill & Co. confirmed that two of its managing directors, Jeffrey Buckalew, 45, and Rakesh Chawla, 36, as well as Buckalew's wife and two children, were on the plane that crashed on Interstate 287, which is a heavily used route encircling the northern and western edges of the New York City area.
All the fatalities were from the crashed plane and no one on the ground was injured, according to police.
The plane took off from Teterboro airport in New Jersey and was headed for the state of Georgia, said FAA spokesman Jim Peters.
Peters said the pilot had requested clearance to a higher altitude before the plane disappeared from radar.
Witnesses said the single-engine plane seemed to break up as it spiraled into the wooden median strip and exploded on Interstate 287 in Harding, New Jersey.
"The firm is in deep mourning over the tragic and untimely death of two of its esteemed colleagues and members of Jeff's family," Greenhill & Co said in a written statement.
A dog aboard the plane was also killed in the accident.
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