Saturday, September 05, 2015

Jewish Pilot Hailed Hero Following Plane Crash

A Spring Valley pilot is recovering in the hospital Friday after he crash landed a Coast Guard Auxiliary plane in Cresskill, New Jersey.

Yakov Rosenberg, a Monsey resident, says he was in the Cessna-172 when the craft lost power Thursday during a routine flight.

Rosenberg, who is known by friends as "Jack," says he was able to guide the plane away from houses and people on the ground before crashing into a cluster of trees.

"Jack is one of the most dedicated people out there that a person can have as a family member, as a friend and as a community volunteer," says friend and neighbor Yossi Gestetner.

Rosenberg and fellow Coast Guard Auxiliary member Erik Pearson were seriously hurt in the crash. Both are expected to survive.

Officials say no one on the ground was injured.

Rosenberg says he is an active Chaverim, an emergency services agency in the Orthodox Jewish community. He is trained to fly search-and-rescue missions and flew in food and supplies to roughly 140 people stranded at a Vermont hotel in the wake of Hurricane Irene in 2012.

The National Transportation Safety Board, the Coast Guard and the FAA are all investigating the crash.

No comments: