A Florida pilot said he was experiencing engine trouble before deploying his plane's parachute and landing safely in a tree in Galloway Township.
John Austin Bryan alerted air-traffic control at about 3:40 p.m., shortly after he took off to report engine trouble, police said.
Audio of the call posted by AtlanticCity911 on X captured the pilot calmly discussing the situation and assessing where to land.
Audio of Pilot talking to Atlantic City Airport tower telling them he’s about to crash! pic.twitter.com/C0eqJLujlU
He was told that to his left was the Atlantic City Expressway, so he said he would go right.
Bryan also asked for clearance to deploy the plane's parachute.
The single-engine Cirrus is equipped with an Airframe Parachute System, which Bryan utilized. This allowed him to safely navigate the plane in an area free of people and vehicle traffic, police said.
Cirrus is the only company to include a whole airframe parachute as standard equipment, according to the company's website.
The plane landed in a wooded area in the 200 block of Liebig Street, near Genoa Avenue.
Bryan safely exited the plane and was evaluated by Galloway Township EMS. He was the only passenger on board.
“Although we do not deal with many plane crashes in Galloway, it was very impressive to see numerous agencies working together on this incident,” Police Chief Richard Barber said. “From the selfless actions of one of our citizens coming to the aid of the pilot, to the amount of first responders rushing to the scene, this is a true testament of the sense of care and community we have in Galloway Township.”
Galloway Township police thanked those who helped at the scene, including township EMS, Pomona and Germania volunteer fire departments, Galloway Township Office of Emergency Management, N.J. Forest Fire, the Atlantic City International Airport Fire Department, the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board
