Passenger: Plane had mechanical problem before crashing into neighborhood
A plane that crashed into a Lindenwold neighborhood experienced an unknown mechanical problem before going down, the passenger told police, according to a statement released Thursday.
A plane that crashed into a Lindenwold neighborhood experienced an unknown mechanical problem before going down, the passenger told police, according to a statement released Thursday.
David Misek, 72, of Cherry Hill, who spoke to investigators, suffered a broken hip and will need surgery.
The pilot, Wayne Gilchrist, 66, of Marlton, suffered "severe" cuts on his face that required stitches, police said. Investigators have not yet been able to speak to him.
Both men were in stable condition at Cooper University Hospital, where they are expected to recover.
No one answered the door Thursday at Misek's home, where a large American flag was draped out front and pumpkins sat on the porch.
Two neighbors said they had just learned that morning that Misek was in the crash. They said that he was a former music teacher and that he and his wife had lived in the home for more than 20 years.
In an odd coincidence, according to the neighbors, the previous owners of the home died in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland.
Misek and Gilchrist's plane, an Ercoupe 415-C, took off from the Flying W Ranch airstrip in Medford before crashing just before 1 p.m. Wednesday in a backyard in the 500 block of Linden Avenue.
The force of the crash left the cockpit upside down and separated the tail. Authorities said residents were "very lucky" no one on the ground was injured.
Police said in Thursday's statement that Misek told investigators the plane "experienced an unknown mechanical issue just prior to the crash."
The plane's owner, Daniel L. McCaffery of Chesapeake City, Md., did not return a call Thursday. He has several small planes registered in his name and is a certified instructor, according to Federal Aviation Administration records. He was not on the flight that crashed.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the incident with FAA assistance.
The FAA referred comment Thursday to the NTSB, which said it would release a preliminary report on the crash in seven to 10 days.
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