Banner Plane Crashes at Jersey Shore

Pilot ditches small plane after experiencing mechanical problems

The pilot of a banner plane was forced to make a crash landing in Ocean City, N.J. Friday.

The small plane went down in a marsh along the bay side of the island resort near 52nd Street just before 3 p.m., police say.

Pilot Brian Harris told authorities he ditched the plane in the marsh after experiencing mechanical problem. He was not seriously hurt.

Witness Bob Mayfield was mowing his lawn when he heard the plane's engine sputter.

"The neighbor David Jones came down and said 'look up, the plane looks like its gonna crash, its engine's fluttering,'" Mayfield said. "So we watched it spin around, it did a 360-degree turn and then it went down behind the wetland."

The FAA is en route to investigate the crash as police attempt to extract the plane from the marsh.

The plane is operated by Paramount Air Service and could be more than 70 years old, a spokesperson for the banner service told NBC Philadelphia.

Fan, follow and download: Get the latest from NBCPhiladelphia.com anytime, anywhere. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and NBC Philadelphia. Sign up for our breaking news newsletter. And, get breaking news delivered right to your mobile phone -- just text PHIBREAKING to 639710 to sign up. (Message and data rates may apply.)

Contact Us