MORRIS TOWNSHIP — At least five people — three adults and two children — have died after a small plane crashed on Interstate 287 outside of Morris Township, according to State Police. A dog aboard the plane also was killed.

There were no survivors, said State Police spokesman Lt. Stephen Jones.

On board the private single-engine turbo-prop, according to a press release from a New York City investment bank, Greenhill & Co., were two of its managing directors, Jeffrey F. Buckalew, 45, and Rakesh Chawla, 36, both from New York City.

The company said the aircraft “belonged to Mr. Buckalew, an experienced pilot whose passion was flying,” and that Buckalew’s wife, Corinne, and their two children, Jackson and Meriwether, were also on board.

The wreckage created a debris field that was approximately a half-mile wide, said Jones, who added that police are trying to relocate pieces of the plane to re-open the highway.

John Moran, who lives on Trent Court, ran to the scene when he heard the explosion shortly after 10 a.m. and saw that the cockpit of a single-engine, turbo prop had broken off and disintegrated.

"It was carnage," Moran said, describing a scene of chaos and devastation, with luggage and pieces of the plane strewn across the woods that hug Rt. 287 in both directions.

"If you didn't know what you were looking at, you'd think it was just a pile of rubble," he said.

Moran tried to reach the passengers inside the wreckage but quickly realized there was nothing he could do.

"They were literally just pulled apart," he said. "It was just horrible."

FAA spokesman Jim Peters says plane, registered to Cool Stream, LLC of New York City, had departed from nearby Teterboro Airport when it disappeared from radar. The Socata TBM-700 was headed for for DeKalb-Peachtree Airport in Atlanta when it apparently lost contact with a Federal Aviation Administration radio tower in New York, according to FAA spokesman Jim Peters.

View full size

Neighbors reported hearing a sound like an engine revving, then a loud whistling sound, like that of an incoming mortar, and finally the boom of the crash.

"It shook the house," said Camilla Sivertsson, who lives on James Street.

The plane appeared to nosedive and disintegrate as it fell toward 287, crashing near the entrance ramp on Harter Lane and exploding in a ball of flames.

"You could see the fire come up above the sound wall," said Chris Alexopoulos.

No one on the ground has apparently been injured

Shona Sternberg of Hillsborough was about three cars behind where the plane, coming from the west, smacked into the highway.

"There was a lot of fire and big black smoke," she said. "I could smell burning, burnt rubber. You see something happening, you know it's going to crash and you can't do anything."

Sternberg, was on her way to Madison traveling north on 287 when she called from the scene. She said the plane looked like it was in trouble before it crashed.

"Something was breaking off the plane as it was coming down. It was coming down fast. It looked like the right wing was breaking off."

Scotch Plains resident John Dausen was driving down 287 when he saw the Socata "lightly spiraling" as it slammed into the highway this morning. Dausen did not see any smoke coming from the plane, but said the shock of the impact caused people to jump out of their cars on the highway.

"People were panicking," said Dausen, 43. “I was pretty shocked.”

The New Jersey Department of Transportation's accident alert website is reporting all lanes of the highway are closed and commuters in the area should expect extensive delays.

State Police say the shoulders are being used to let vehicles through.

By James Queally, Julia Terruso, Dan Goldberg, Ed Beeson, Ted Sherman, Amy Ellis Nutt and Eugene Paik/The Star-Ledger

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

RELATED VIDEO

Small Plane Crash In Morris County: MyFoxNY.com

Related coverage:

• At least 3 killed as plane crashes onto I-287 in Morris County

• N.J. plane crash: Traffic begins to open up on I-287 in Morris County

• Small plane crashes on I-287 in Morris County

