plane crash

Pilot Dies After Ultralight Aircraft Crashes Into NJ Woods

Police found the pilot, Gerald Asselta, 64, of Vineland, New Jersey, underneath the aircraft. He was pronounced dead at the scene. 

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A pilot was killed after his ultralight aircraft crashed in the woods in Franklin Township, New Jersey, on Monday. 

Franklin Township Police responded to Tuckahoe Road and Harding Highway at 12:54 p.m. for a report of a downed aircraft. When they arrived they found a single engine, ultralight aircraft that had crashed in the woods approximately ¼ of a mile north of the intersection. 

Police found the pilot, Gerald Asselta, 64, of Vineland, New Jersey, underneath the aircraft. He was pronounced dead at the scene. 

Investigators said the aircraft had taken off in the area at a home in Vineland. Witnesses said they spotted it in the area of the Vineland-Downstown Airport before it crashed. Officials are unsure however if Asselta was trying to land at the airport. 

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating the cause of the crash. 

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