The pilot of a small plane on a volunteer U.S. Coast Guard patrol reported engine trouble before making an emergency crash-landing near a borough athletic field, according to radio transmissions released Friday and officials.
CRESSKILL -- The pilot of a small plane on a volunteer U.S. Coast Guard patrol reported engine trouble before making an emergency crash-landing near a borough athletic field, according to radio transmissions released Friday and officials.
"We are experiencing engine roughness," a pilot on the Cessna 172 told controllers at LaGuardia Airport before the aircraft went down around 5 p.m. Thursday at Reagan Field.
The audio transmissions, provided by LiveATC.net, reveal the calm-sounding pilot initially trying to reach Teterboro Airport. Transmissions show the in-flight situation soon worsens.
U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary pilot Yakov Rosenberg was seriously injured in a crash-landing in Cresskill Sept. 3, 2015, officials said. (Courtesy of Mayer Berger) "We lost the engine completely," the pilot said in the air traffic communications.
Two occupants of the plane suffered serious injuries, but were expected to survive, according to a U.S. Coast Guard spokesman.
RELATED: Coast Guard volunteers remain hospitalized after plane crash, officials say
Yakov Rosenberg, of Spring Valley, New York, was one of the two pilots badly injured in the crash, Rabbi Mayer Berger told NJ Advance Media. Rosenberg is a volunteer with Chesed Shel Emes, a group that responds to deaths to help ensure the deceased are treated according to Jewish religious laws.
"We're very proud of Mr. Rosenberg, how he so skillfully and carefully landed his plane and even put his own life in danger in order to avoid any harm to anyone on the ground, this personifies the way of life of a selfless volunteer," said Berger, director of operations at Chesed Shel Emes.
Rosenberg underwent surgery at Hackensack University Medical Center, Berger added. He suffered fractures to both legs and lower back.
Berger described Rosenberg as a "dedicated volunteer" who flew medicine and food to Jewish families stuck in Vermont after Hurricane Irene.
"He is one of our volunteers who we can always rely on," Berger said in an interview Friday.
In a statement, the Coast Guard identified the other pilot as Erik Pearson, a Coast Guard Auxiliarist since 2010.
Rosenberg has served with the agency since 2005, the Coast Guard said.
An investigation into the crash was ongoing and a spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration said the agency would not speculate on possible causes.
National Transportation Safety Board Senior Air Safety Investigator Brian Rayner confirmed the pilot reported a "rough-running engine."
Before the plane could reach Teterboro, its engine reportedly lost power, Rayner added. Witnesses near the field reported seeing the plane coming in low, but did not hear its engine.
The pilots have not yet been interviewed while they were recovering, the investigator said.
Officials planned to remove the wrecked plane Friday afternoon and take to another undisclosed site for further analysis.
Rayner said his investigation would cover a range of factors, including the pilot, aircraft and environmental conditions.
"I am very confident that when it's all said and done, we will understand this unfortunate incident," he said in an interview.
As volunteers, U.S. Coast Guard auxiliary members supply their own planes for patrol missions, agency spokesman Charles Rowe previously said.
The single-engine aircraft took off from Linden Airport for a routine patrol of the Hudson River, according to Rowe.
Click play below to hear the radio traffic:
Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
