An investigation into the cause of a plane crash involving a father and son continues, officials said.
The pilot, 53-year-old Thaddeus Lazowski, of Dennis Township, and his 12-year-old son, also named Thaddeus, were both killed when their single-engine Piper Arrow went down around 11 a.m., just minutes after taking off from Woodbine Municipal Airport in Cape May County, about 20 miles southwest of Atlantic City.
The plane appeared to come straight down and ended up in a densely wooded area in Dennis Township, about a mile from the airport, New Jersey State Police Sgt. Stephen Jones said. It was registered to the elder Lazowski.
Several state troopers, firefighters and rescue crews rushed to the scene shortly after the crash occurred, and they needed all-terrain vehicles to reach the plane. Jones said part of a wing was found about 300 yards from the crash site.
No injuries were reported on the ground, according to authorities.
Weather conditions in the area have been poor since Thursday, as powerful storms spawned by the remnants of Tropical Storm Ida have battered the state with heavy rains and gusty winds, but it was unknown if that contributed to the crash. Jones said skies were overcast when the plane took off, with light winds blowing and light rain falling.
A friend of the pilot, however, told KYW that Lazowski wasn't trained to fly in such poor visibility.
"He went up, realized he had made a mistake, was trying to circle, go crosswind downwind to come back to the runway and just got disoriented," said Art Reale.
The two were flying to Indiana for a hunting trip, but it wasn't immediately clear where in Indiana the pair were headed, Jones said.
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Autopsies will be performed on both victims Sunday. Relatives say Lazowski was the brother of Commerce Secretary for the state of Maine.
The Federal Aviation Administration and New Jersey state police are both looking into the case.
