Cumberland County

Family Says Father, Son Killed in NJ Plane Crash Had Passion for Being in the Air

John "Moose" Noone III and his son Kris Noone, a 24-year-old commercial airlines pilot, died Monday when their small plane came down in Cumberland County

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The two men killed in a small airplane crash in a residential New Jersey neighborhood Monday afternoon were a father and son who had a passion for being in the air, their family told NBC10.

John "Moose" Noone III and his son Kris Noone, a 24-year-old commercial airlines pilot, had just taken off from a small airport in Upper Deerfield Township when their plane came down around 1:49 p.m.

Their yellow two-seater Champion Aeronca 7AC landed in a front yard of a home on Parvin Mill Road, officials said.

JC Noone, his brother, sister, and mother are beyond devastated having lost two loved ones the same day.

"It's a crush. My entire world flipped upside down," JC said. "I have no idea what to do."

Kris was an officer for Spirit Airlines, flying an Airbus A320. JC said his brother was likely one of the youngest pilots in the country.

"He got hired prior to his 21st birthday from American Airlines," JC said. "He was in his interview at the board meeting, and they said, 'oh, look at his qualifications!' They all were thinking something was wrong because wasn’t of age yet, you had to be 21."

John was a 67-year-old retired electrician who went by the nickname "Moose." JC is certain if and when they knew something was wrong in the sky, their goal would be to protect others.

"They were pilots, and they did their best to divert any further injury with getting the plane down in the center of the yard," JC said. "They missed that house by 50 feet."

NTSB investigator Daniel Boggs said it could take two weeks to determine a preliminary cause of why the plane crashed. He said from reports they've seen, weather doesn't seem to be an issue.

The Noones, according to family, also loved football -- from under the Friday night lights to the Philadelphia Eagles. In fact, Kris was supposed to be at the tailgate Monday night with the Bucks Airport owner Aaron Pearl, who says the memory of both men will fly high for years to come.

"When the Noone family came to fly, it wasn't just John and Kris. The whole family came. The grandkids came, there would be cars and kids riding their bikes all over the place," Pearl said. "The aviation community is greatly going to miss them."

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