Pilot Dies After Plane Crashes Into Woodbridge Home (UPDATE)

WOODBRIDGE, NJ — Officials confirmed that a pilot died Tuesday after his plane crashed into a house while trying to land at Linden Airport.

Linden Airport Manager Paul Dudley told nj.com and other media sources that Michael Schloss, 74, a retired cardiologist and accomplished aviator, was the pilot in the crash. The National Transportation Safety Board confirmed the pilot's death.

The home was unoccupied at the time, but workers tried to rescue the pilot after the crash, officials said. The plane had no passengers, Woodbridge Mayor John McCormac said.

The Cessna 414 crashed into the back of a home at 84 Berkley Ave. in Colonia at 11 a.m. Tuesday, according to the FAA. That home caught fire and, within minutes, flames spread to homes on both sides of the crash site, Woodbridge police said.

The plane's fuselage, or main body of the aircraft, remained completely inside the home for hours, the mayor said in a somber press conference at the scene.

A woman was inside one of the houses next door but she got out quickly once she noticed the fire, said Capt. Scott Kuzma of the Woodbridge police. The home on the other side of the crash site was unoccupied.

The plane took off in Virginia and was headed to Linden Airport, less than five miles away, the mayor said. Linden Airport reported "a sharp drop in visibility" right before the crash.

A resident who lives nearby captured these dramatic photos of the Cessna falling from the sky just seconds before the crash.

Colonia Residents Describe Horrific Scene On Quiet Suburban Street

The plane went down on a quiet residential street of well-kept homes, between Princeton and Columbia avenues, and just off the main thoroughfare, Colonia Boulevard. Residents on the block described to Patch a scene of horror and tragedy. People as far as three miles away in neighboring Edison Township said they could hear the "boom" of the crash when the plane hit the house.

"I saw unbelievable flames. I screamed, 'Oh my God!' I've never seen anything like it before," said neighbor Jerry Bartolino, who lives three houses down on Berkley Avenue. He said his entire house shook with the impact. "This was a scary wake-up call about how precious life is."

"I really didn't know what happened, but I heard the boom and saw the flames," said Colonia teen George Brown, who lives in the neighborhood and was out walking when the plane went down. He took this cell phone video of the crash site:

"I can't believe it," said his mom, Kelly Brown. "I hope everyone in the house is OK."

A mother, father and an elementary-age child live in the home. The parents were both at work, and the child was at school at the time of the crash, neighbors said.

"My wife spoke to the family who owns the home that was hit," said Colonia resident Matt Loomis, who lives two doors down from the crash site. "Both (homeowners) just cried immediately. It’s one of those things where you think how lucky you are. Everyone is distraught. Did this really just happen?"

The home that was hit by the plane has been completely destroyed, Woodbridge police and eyewitnesses say. The Patch reporter at the scene described the smell of burning jet fuel, "a smoke like I’ve never smelled before."

Plane Was Due To Land At Linden Airport At 11 a.m.

The plane that crashed took off from Leesburg Executive Airport in Virginia some time Tuesday morning and was scheduled to land at Linden Airport at 11 a.m., the same time that it crashed, said Jim Peters, a spokesman for the FAA.

Registration records show the plane is owned by Warbird Associates, which has a Wilmington, Delaware mailing address.

Tuesday's fog and misty rain may have played a role in the crash, said an experienced pilot who flies daily in the area.

"There are terrible weather conditions right now; visibility is very poor. Weather could play a part in this accident," NBC reporter Dennis Protsko, who happens to live in the area, said as he called in to NBC. Protsko flies NBC's News Chopper 4, which regularly takes off and lands from Linden Airport.

"It's a pretty scary scene here in Colonia," he said. "I actually heard the crash, and I thought an aircraft was landing on my house. That's how loud it was. I heard a thump and I ran around the house. At that point fire engines and ambulances were already streaming in."

Listen To Radio Transmissions Between The Plane And Control Tower

Radio transmissions from the doomed plane were anonymously uploaded to LiveATC.net Tuesday afternoon after the crash. While it is unclear which control tower the pilot is talking to, in the seven-minute audio file he sounds relaxed and calm, discussing weather conditions and preparing for landing at Linden. According to the FAA, the plane's registration number, or number on the tail of the aircraft, is N959MJ.

"November959MikeJuliet New York approach. Are you familiar with the cancellation procedures when you do break out?" said the control tower.

According to an amateur pilot, this is terminology for flying using only instruments in bad visibility. "Cancellation procedures" means letting the control tower know the plane has safely landed or is very close to landing. "Break out" means the pilot broke out of the cloud cover and can see the ground.

"No problem," replied the pilot. "I'll cancel with you as soon as I have the airport in site."

"Sounds good," the tower replied. "Proceed direct Linden."

Then later the tower said: "November959MikeJuliet, you're gonna maintain 2,000. Commence the approach. And uh, as always let me know when you're able to cancel." (Inform the tower he landed.)

"November959MikeJuliet, almost home," the pilot replied.

Except he never safely landed at Linden.

The National Transportation Safety Board will also investigate to determine the cause of the accident, according to the FAA.

Additional reporting from the scene by Katie Kausch.