Posted on 04/06/2005 9:50:27 AM PDT by Calpernia
There has been a deadly plane crash in Cape May County, New Jersey.
It happened in Middle Township, on Route 47 near the intersection of Bayshore Road in the Green Creek section.
The small plane crashed into the Acorn Campground. Police have confirmed to Action News that two people were killed. The aircraft may have crashed sometime late last night. The wreckage was discovered shortly after 10 a.m. this morning, by campground owners who were working on the property.
At this time, police are waiting for officials with the Federal Aviation Administration to arrive. So far there are no identities of the dead, and we do not know yet where the plane was from, nor where it was heading.
We will continue to monitor this deadly tragedy, and bring you the latest developments as they unfold.
Somewhere there is a "mayday" joke in this.
ping
bump for later discussion
I'm not a pilot, but is there any sort of system where the FAA would know that a plane went up and didn't come back down (in a landing, not crashing, sense)? Are flights monitored between destinations?
Cape may is pretty. I spent 9 unforgettable weeks there back in the winter/spring of 1985.
From other threads on planes, I've learned that small ones don't have the same filing procedures.
Only if they filed a flight plan, or if their plane had an emergency locator transmitter (ELT) that would be set off by a crash (or even a hard landing sometimes).
Only if a flight plan was filed. Many private flights don't require a flight plan. I always file.
bump
The FAA uses a lot of secondary radar today. So if a plane doen't have a transponder or if it's not turned on, you won't be seen. Even if you are squawking 1200 the fact that you disappear from the radar screen means nothing, since you could be landing on a private strip or a pasture. If no flight plan was filed, then it is up to family or friends to initiate a search. In this case that wouldn't have happened since the plane crashed in a populated area. In Alaska, however, this is not normally the case. So, the short answer is no, the FAA won't necessarily see you disappear.
I don't mean to hijack a thread, but "Cape May" and "plane crash" brings back some bad memories. I was at a Cape May air show and air race when I was a kid of 7 or 8 (1968 or 1969). There was a pileup of race planes (J-6 Jennies?) over the far pylon. We saw like 4 or more planes crash that day after a single crash earlier in that race, if I recall correctly. I have not thought of that in a long time. Just damn.
Coast Guard?
Yep.
(snip)Barbara Freedman, 57, of Elkins Park, Pa., and Stephan D. Baughn, 56, of Marlton, were killed in the crash, police said.
"The people at the campground heard a plane going over sometime around 10 p.m., and it didn't sound real good," police Chief Joseph Evangelista said. Witnesses told police they heard a plane, then popping sounds, he said.(snip)
http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/11326694.htm
My best guess is that it will be quite a while before anyone finds humor in a deadly plane crash.
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