Chasidisha pilot risked serious injury to save lives

Yaakov Yosef Rosenberg a hasidic pilot from Monsey risked his life to save lives. "He did a heck of a job putting it down there, he saved people. He saved lives."
CRESSKILL, N.J. (WABC) -- A small plane with the U.S. Coast Coast Guard crash landed in Bergen County, New Jersey, injuring the two people on board. It happened just before 5 p.m. Thursday at Regan Field right behind the Cresskill Community Center at 100 3rd Street. Investigators spent all night crawling over the wreckage of the doomed Cessna 172. "All of a sudden it was terror," a resident said. Hours after onlookers at the Cresskill Community Center watched in shock as the crippled prop plane crashed to the ground. "It just barely cleared the tree line right above the pool," a resident said. "You could see the propeller, it was not moving," a neighbor said. "I guess he was looking for a place to land," another said. "There was absolutely no sound," a resident said. The U.S. Coast Guard said this plane was an Auxiliary Aircraft flown by USCG volunteers.
It was on official business for the Coast Guard, taking a survey of the Hudson River. Two people were on board and were injured, but both are expected to survive. The plane took off at about 4:30 p.m. out of Linden Airport in New Jersey. Radio traffic indicated that the plane was having engine failure and was trying to make it to Teterboro Airport, but it did not make it. "November-758-delta-kilo, we are experiencing engine roughness, over," the pilot said. "Delta-kilo, say intention?" Air Traffic Control said. "Well we're trying to get to Teterboro if possible," the pilot said. "Delta-kilo has lost the engine completely. Delta kilo's going to make an emergency landing," the pilot said. At this point, other small aircraft rushed to the plane's last known position near Spuyten Duyvil, among them, Newscopter 7. "News 7 like to take it direct to the GW, we're going to go see if we can help," Newscopter 7 said. But it was already too late. One man was taken from the plane on a stretcher. It appeared that he was moving. NewsCopter 7 captured video of the rescue effort. "Apparently he had enough control of the plane to steer it to the right," a resident said. "It was a pretty big bang, he hit hard," an eyewitness said. "And all I thought was, oh jeez not the kids," said Chief Edward Wrixon, of the Cresskill Police Department. And when the 911 calls flooded in, Police Chief Wrixon immediately feared the worst. With school back in session, parts of this field were jammed with kids. But eyewitnesses say the pilots intentionally crashed into the trees, endangering themselves, to avoid hitting anyone on the ground. "He had all this area to land and he stayed as far to the edge of the field as he did," Wrixon said. "He did a heck of a job putting it down there, he saved people. He saved lives."