Fourteen injured after skydiving plane crashes at New Jersey airport

Fourteen people were injured after a skydiving plane crashed at the Cross Keys Airport in Williamstown, N.J.

The Federal Aviation Administration said that the plane went off the end of the runway while departing the airport on Wednesday evening, WPVI reported. The small airport is in a populated area with neighborhoods, stores, restaurants, movie theaters, and churches.

The pilot reported engine trouble before the plane crashed into a tree near the runway, investigators said.

Andrew Halter with Gloucester County Emergency Management said that rescue crews found extensive damage to the plane and many victims covered in jet fuel when they arrived.

"Patients were decontaminated prior to being transported to the hospital. There were 15 souls on board in the aircraft, including the pilot," Halter said.

Eight of the people on board the plane, all males, were admitted to Cooper University Hospital in Camden. Three of those patients are in the trauma intensive care unit in critical but stable condition, and the other five were treated in the emergency department and also admitted in serious condition. The men are being treated for extremity injuries, fractures, and blunt force trauma.

The injuries of the others on the plane were considered minor, while one person refused medical treatment.

Investigators are to continue examining the wreckage on Thursday.

The plane was a Cessna 208B owned by Arne Aviation LLC and leased to Skydive Cross Keys.

The National Transportation Safety Board said Thursday that it has launched an investigation into the plane crash, and will examine the weather conditions, witness statements, and aircraft maintenance records. The NTSB will also determine if there was anything that could have impacted the pilot's ability to fly the plane safely, and will examine the pilot's license, ratings, and recent flight experience.

A full investigation could take one to two years.