Small plane crashes into lake near airport, injuring pilot

ANDOVER TOWNSHIP, N.J. – A small plane has crashed into a lake near a New Jersey airport, injuring the pilot, who freed himself and swam away before a police rowboat plucked him from the water.

Authorities say the pilot was alone in the single-engine plane when it went down shortly before noon Monday near the small Aeroflex-Andover Airport in Sussex County. The plane ended up in the state’s deepest natural lake, Lake Aeroflex, in Newton.

Authorities say the pilot was taking off from the airport when the crash occurred. The pilot was has been hospitalized, but his name and details on his injuries haven’t been disclosed.

The airport is in Kittatinny Valley State Park and is owned by the state’s Forest Fire Service.

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating.