Report: S. Jersey Pilot Warned Not to Fly Before Fatal Crash

Both father and son were killed just minutes after they took off

By DANIELLE JOHNSON

Updated 2:01 PM EST, Mon, Nov 30, 2009

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A preliminary report released by the National Transportation Safety Board said a Dennis Township pilot, who was killed along with his son in a fatal crash, was warned not to fly the day before due to bad weather conditions.

NTSB officials said a more experienced pilot told 53-year-old Thaddeus Lazowski “not to take any chances” and wait for better weather before he took off from Woodbine Airport on November 14, according to Press of Atlantic City.

It was the tail end of a three-day Nor’easter, Tropical Storm Ida, that caused widespread damage, flooding and gusty winds throughout South Jersey.

Lazowski and his 12-year-old son, also named Thaddeus, were both killed when their single-engine Piper Arrow went down into a nearby wooded just minutes after taking off from Woodbine Municipal Airport in Cape May County, about 20 miles southwest of Atlantic City.

The two were flying to Indiana for a hunting trip.

It is not known if weather played a role in the crash. However visibility was about two to three miles, according to the report.

The forecast was expected to improve later in the day, according to the NTSB report.