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Updated on January 12, 2021 at 5:52 am NBC Universal, Inc. A pilot was killed after his ultralight aircraft crashed in the woods in Franklin Township, New Jersey, on Monday. Franklin Township Police responded to Tuckahoe Road and Harding Highway at 12:54 p.m. for a report of a downed aircraft. When they arrived they found a single engine, ultralight aircraft that had crashed in the woods approximately ¼ of a mile north of the intersection. Download our mobile app for iOS to get alerts for local breaking news and weather. Police found the pilot, Gerald Asselta, 64, of Vineland, New Jersey, underneath the aircraft. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
It happened around 12:45 p.m. near Tuckahoe Road and Harding Highway. According to the Franklin Township Police Department, 64-year-old Gerard Asselta, who was the only person on board the aircraft, took off from a private residence in Vineland. He was later found dead after crashing in a wooded area off Tuckahoe Road in Franklin Township. Witnesses reported seeing the aircraft in the area of Downstown Airport, but it's unclear if Asselta was trying to land before the crash occurred. The Federal Aviation Administration and local authorities are working to determine the cause of the accident.