Federal investigators are trying to determine what caused a single-engine plane to crash into a Wayne neighborhood Monday night.
Wayne?s deputy police chief says the plane took off from North Carolina and was supposed to land at Essex County Airport. According to police, the plane apparently struck some trees, flipped over, hit the street and burst into flames. The plane slid into a driveway on Nellis Drive, but did not hit the home.
The pilot, 55-year-old Andrew Coppolo, of Atlantic Highlands, was killed in the crash. Officials say Coppolo was an experienced pilot with more than 3,000 hours of flight time. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration will continue to study the wreckage at a recovery facility in Delaware. The NTSB say it will take months to complete its report.
Related Information:Pilot killed after small plane crashes, bursts into flames in Wayne driveway