A pilot was hospitalized with minor injuries Tuesday evening after the light two-seater plane he was flying crashed in Sussex County due to a problem with the plane’s fuel system, authorities said.
According to witnesses and the New Jersey State Police, the accident occurred shortly after 7 p.m. in a wooded area near a shopping center on Main Street in Sussex Borough.
A Bellanca Citabria aircraft “crashed into a line of trees due to a fuel problem,” State Police Sergeant Jeffrey Lebron said in an email.
“The pilot suffered minor injuries and was taken to a nearby hospital,” Lebron said.
At the time of the crash, only the pilot was on board and no further injuries were reported, an FAA spokesman said.
The Bellanca Citabria is a single-engine, two-seat aircraft with fixed conventional landing gear, the manufacturer American Champion Citabria explained on its website. According to the manufacturer, the aircraft is designed primarily for flight training and private use.
Michael Courtright, who lives near the crash site, said he heard the crash and saw the pilot outside the plane.
“He was unconscious and the emergency services were there to take care of him,” Courtright said, adding that the impact sounded like “a bunch of pallets colliding.”
The reason for the cash loss is currently being investigated by the FAA and the NTSB.
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