Crime & Safety
Airplane Runs Off Runway At Essex County Airport, Leaks Jet Fuel
After a plane at Essex County Airport ran off the runway, the Nutley Fire Department's Hazardous Materials Unit was called.
ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — A plane trying to land on a runway at Essex County Airport veered off the runway and ended up leaking fuel into a drainage brook Sunday afternoon, according to the Fairfield Police Department.
All three people aboard were uninjured.
"At the time of this release, the plane was emitting jet fuel into the brook. The Nutley Fire Department’s Hazardous Materials Unit was called in to assist the Fairfield Fire Department in helping to contain the spill," said the Fairfield Police Department.
Find out what's happening in Livingstonfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The West Caldwell Police and Fire Departments, the Essex County Sheriff's Department, and the West Essex First Aid Squad also came to assist.
The Fairfield police were alerted to a single plane crash around 2:41 p.m., they said.
Find out what's happening in Livingstonfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The plane, a 2020 Citation CJ3 Plus, was at the end of Runway 22 in a drainage brook. The three occupants were attempting to get out of the plane as police arrived. All were uninjured.
The police said, "Very preliminary investigation revealed that, at the time of the crash, the plane was attempting to land on Runway 22. As the plane was descending, there were strong cross winds which resulted in the plane not touching down on the runway soon enough. The plane traveled briefly on the runway, then onto a grassy area and finally ended up in the drainage brook."
“We are very relieved that no one was injured as a result of this incident,” said Fairfield Police Chief Anthony G. Manna.
Three people were aboard: The plane's owner, from Bernardsville, as well as a Danbury, CT man and a Poughkeepside man.
The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Bureau were both notified of the incident.
Alexis Tarrazi contributed reporting to this story.
You can get a free daily newsletter each morning at 6 a.m. with news in your town, or get breaking news alerts. Sign up with your zip code here and you'll get an email asking for your preferences.
Get a free morning newsletter with news in any New Jersey town: https://patch.com/subscribe
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
