Student pilot and instructor suffer minor injuries after single-engine plane crash at Central Jersey Regional Airport in Hillsborough

A 70-year-old student pilot and his 73-year-old instructor crashed a single-engine plane when they were trying to land at the Central Jersey Regional Airport in Hillsborough on Tuesday afternoon at about 4:!5 p.m., police said. The airport is located off of Millstone River Road and has one runway.

The plane crashed on the west side of the runway after it struck a tree and then flipped over onto its roof. police said. The student, James Finley of Hopatcong, and the instructor, Lorraine Denby of Berkeley Heights, both reported minor injuries. Finley refused medial treatment at the scene. Denby was treated at Robert Wood Johnson Hospital Somerset and was released.

Police said the plane crash is currently under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration.

First responders at the scene included the Hillsborough Township Police Department, Hillsborough Township Firedepartment Stations 37 and 38, the Hillsborough Township Office of Emergency Management, the RWJ Somerset Emergency Squad. the Manville Police Department, and the Somerset County Hazmat team.

The crash is the second incident at the airport within the past week. On Nov. 18, a small plane veered off a runway and flipped over while attempting to land. Two people were on that plane, a single-engine Cessna 172.

Avatar of Krystal Knapp

Krystal Knapp is the founding editor of Planet Princeton. Follow her on Twitter @krystalknapp. She can be reached via email at editor AT planetprinceton.com. Send all letters to the editor and press releases to that email address.