A pilot was killed after his small plane crashed and broke apart in a wooded area of Pompton Lakes shortly before 6 p.m. Friday.

Firefighters put out the flaming wreckage, which was scattered around the area. No homes were in the immediate area, but smoke from the plane was visible from nearby Route 287. No one on the ground was injured. The crash site is about two miles from Lincoln Park Airport.

According to authorities in Pompton Lakes, the pilot made a distress call before the crash and witnesses say the plane appeared to lose engine power. Authorities say the pilot was trying to land on a long roadway, but clipped some trees.

The pilot was identified as 74-year-old Donald Rehill of Livingston.