An instructor and student pilot both survived a plane crash with no injuries at a North Jersey airport on Sunday, officials said.
The Piper Seminole P-44 landed on the runway of Essex County Airport in Fairfield without its landing gear deployed, the Fairfield Police Department said in a news statement. Officers responded to a 911 call reporting the incident at 2:21 p.m.
The instructor, a 31-year-old Paterson man and a the student pilot, a 32-year-old man from Elizabeth, were the only people on board the plane. The aircraft is owned by the airport’s Air Fleet Training Systems.
“The circumstances surrounding this crash could have been much worse and these gentlemen are very lucky,” said police spokeswoman Officer Stacy Chiarolanza.
The airport was closed after the crash so the FAA could investigate.
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Nicolas Fernandes may be reached at nfernandes@njadvancemedia.com.