Pilot Killed In Plane Crash Off Cape May Identified

OFF CAPE MAY, NJ — A Howell Township man has been identified as the pilot of a small plane that crashed in the Atlantic Ocean off Cape May earlier this week.

Lawrence Klimek, 58, of Howell, is the pilot of the single engine plane that crashed off the beach in Cape May Point on Wednesday, May 29, New Jersey State Police said Friday.

Klimek was found dead after the Mooney M20J aircraft he was flying crashed in the water about 1,200 feet from the Cape May Lighthouse and is submerged in the ocean, the FAA said Wednesday. Read more: Plane Lands In Ocean Off Cape May Point; Rescue Underway

He took off about 8 a.m. Wednesday from Trenton-Robbinsville Airport in Robbinsville, and a witness reported the plane crash about 11:30 a.m., shortly after the crash happened, the FAA said.

Klimek's body is being recovered by state police units, New Jersey State Police said. The recovery of the aircraft is being conducted by a private salvage company, NJSP said. Both recovery operations are active and ongoing.

The U.S. Coast Guard searched for Klimek for more than 10 hours on Wednesday, finally calling off the search after 10 p.m. State police did not say where Klimek's body was located or when they found him.

The search included efforts on the shore, air and sea. Federal, state and local agencies participated. Boats and aircraft saturated the surface as divers from the fire department and state police searched below the surface, the Coast Guard said.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation by the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board. Anyone with information is asked to contact the NJSP Marine Services Bureau Atlantic City Station at 609-449-1472 or the Lower Township Police Department at 609-886-2711.

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