Pilot of small plane that crashed in New Jersey woods uninjured: police

GALLOWAY, NJ - The pilot of a small airplane was uninjured when investigators say his plane went down in a wooded part of Atlantic County shortly after take-off.

The Galloway Township Police Department said the pilot, John Austin Bryan, was the only one aboard the Cirrus Aircraft when it crashed Wednesday afternoon.

Emergency responders were called to Liebig Street in Galloway Township after someone reported a small plane had struck a tree and crashed in a wooded area.

The caller, according to police, helped Bryan exit the downed aircraft. Bryan, a Florida resident, was the only person aboard and was uninsured in the crash. 

"My son and I were standing out back, next thing you know there's a plane deploying a shoot, made a hard left hand turn, crashed into the woods," Jamie Allen told FOX 29. "Made a few calls to 911, we got out there to the guy, and we helped get him out of the plane. Luckily he was okay."

Investigators learned that Bryan reported experiencing engine trouble shortly after he took off from Atlantic City Airport. 

He managed to use the plane's Airframe Parachute System to guide the plane towards an area free from people and vehicle traffic.