Galloway Township plane crash pilot faced split-second decision (2024)

GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP — A Florida pilot was able to walk away uninjured after crashing his plane in the woods in a rural neighborhood after taking some quick and decisive steps Wednesday afternoon.

Authorities said pilot John Austin Bryan crashed his single-engine Cirrus SR22 in a densely wooded area at 3:42 p.m. after developing engine trouble after taking off from nearby Atlantic City International Airport.

A map of Bryan’s short flight showed the plane began losing speed after taking off and that the pilot turned back just before reaching the Mullica River.

Bryan can be heard discussing his options in a recorded conversation with an Atlantic City International air traffic controller on the website LiveATC.net.

As he gets closer to the airport, Bryan begins to fly over a neighborhood near Stockton University.

To his left was the Garden State Parkway, the air traffic controller said. Bryan asks about a field on his right side.

“I’m not going to make it. Do you think I should use the field on my right here? Or pop parachute?” Bryan asked.

Around that time, Jamie Allen, 52, was in the backyard of his Liebig Street home when he heard a plane overhead. It was low, the engine backfiring.

“I don’t think this plane is going to make it,” Allen said.

As if on cue, Allen heard an explosion, and the motor went dead. Cirrus light aircraft, including Bryan’s SR22 model, come equipped with a parachute system for the entire plane, designed to be released in emergencies with an explosion. The company indicates the system has saved more than 250 lives since being introduced.

Bryan deployed the parachute, which shot out behind the falling aircraft as his plane made a hard left and crashed into the woods.

Neighbors nearby, who hadn’t seen the plane, said it sounded like twisting, grating metal, and ran outside to see what had happened.

Allen grabbed his cell phone and called 911.

Then he ran out to where the plane had crashed, maybe 100 yards from the back of his home, in a thick stand of pine trees.

At first, he said, they were looking for the pilot who they thought had ejected with the parachute.

“We didn’t realize that the parachute was part of the plane.”

They found the plane, which was facing the ground, its co*ckpit a wing’s length above the ground, and saw the pilot still inside.

They went and got a ladder.

By that time, many rescue personnel, firefighters and police officers had descended on the scene.

On Thursday, Galloway Township Police Chief Richard Barber thanked the first responders and neighbors who rushed to help.

“Although we do not deal with many plane crashes in Galloway, it was very impressive to see numerous agencies working together on this incident,” 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.”

Responding agencies included Galloway Township EMS, the Pomona and Germania volunteer fire companies, the Galloway Township Office of Emergency Management, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service, the Atlantic City International Airport fire department, the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board.

A police release said Bryan’s actions allowed him to “safely navigate the craft to an area free of people and vehicles.”

Bryan, who has a West Palm Beach, Florida, address, could not be reached Thursday for comment.

The FAA is planning an investigation into the accident, a spokesperson said after releasing preliminary information.

Staff Writer Bill Barlow contributed to this report.