Witnesses see low-flying small plane nosedive into water
By JOANNE L. PAPAIANNI
 Coaster Photo by Paul Spennrath: The fuselage from the small plane that plunged into the Shark River Saturday evening was recovered on Sunday afternoon. |
An investigation into the crash of a homemade four-seat airplane into the Shark River July 5 was officially wrapped up Monday at 4 p.m., but memories of the tragic incident will be remembered for years to come by those who witnessed the event.
The plane nosedived into the river near the Shark River Hills section of Neptune at about 7 p.m. with pilot Richard Jahns, of Point Pleasant Beach, in the cockpit of his homemade RV-7 aircraft. It plummeted into the shallow waters of the Shark River lodging in the mud at the bottom of the river.
Jahns body was recovered on Monday after a three-day recovery effort by state police.
Michael Bascom, coordinator of A.N.S.W.E.R., and Neptunes Deputy Emergency Management Coordinator, said he and other rescuers were on the scene in minutes.
Police, he said, were speaking to witnesses and recreational boaters who were able to point out the location where the plane entered the water. Many said it was flying low over the trees.
Rescue swimmers went into the water, he said, but it was very murky, not only because of the crash, but because of the many boaters in the surrounding water. Divers and rescue swimmers could feel pieces of the plane, but knew that the fuselage was buried deep down in the mud.
Bascom said for two and a half hours the effort was designated a rescue effort before being changed to a recovery effort.
At that time, about 10:30 p.m., says Bascom, he switched hats from A.N.S.W.E.R. coordinator and became the deputy coordinator of the office of emergency management.
At that point we became a support agency, he said.
Bascom said the investigation was officially wrapped up at 4 p.m. Monday after the body of the pilot and the fuselage were pulled from the water.
Then it was turned over to the FAA and the NTSB, he said
Residents of towns bordering the Shark River, some who had heard the loud noise as the plane fell from the sky and others who witnessed the planes dive into the water, began gathering at the river bank Saturday night. Some came from holiday barbeques.
Brian Berner of Neptune City was working on his car when the crash occurred.
It went straight down, out of the sky…it did a corkscrew at the end.
Berner heard the plane as it fell.
It was a real loud sound, then it got real quiet, like the motor just cut out. No explosion, nothing. I tried to call 9-1-1, it took 15 minutes. I ran to the water, the water was still. You couldnt see anything.
Brett Diana, 15, of Shark River Hills heard the plane go by. He said it went overhead like a rainbow, then went straight down.
Brett and his family, who moved permanently to Shark River Hills a month ago, said they were just standing on the dock when the crash happened.
Brett said his father and a friend headed out in a boat to where the plane hit the water.
They told me to call the Coast Guard, he said.
My father was the first one out there, he said plane parts were everywhere.
Ive seen fires, boats flip, nothing like this, Diana said. I thought I was daydreaming.
Bretts brother Dylan, 7, also saw the plane crash.
I thought it was extra speed, he said.
Shark River Hills resident Patricia Brown was walking her dogs along the river when she witnessed the crash.
Brown was trying to take pictures of a rainbow over the river when she heard a loud noise.
I heard a buzzing noise like a motorcycle somebody said it sounded like he was working the throttle, it was not a normal sound like a plane.
Brown said the plane went right overhead as she stood by the gazebo on South Riverside Drive.
It went so fast.
Brown said the plane appeared to rock back and forth the closer it got to the water.
‘It was very quiet after it went into the water, she said. I started walking to the dock, once it went in. It was the eeriest quiet. Not a bubble. Nothing came out of the water.
Several people at the site said they tried to call 9-1-1 but could not get through.
It was the saddest feeling, to stand here, she said You were hoping somebody would show up
Walter Richter, of Ridgefield Park, was visiting friends on Valley Road when he heard a loud noise. He said sounded like a remote control airplane at first.
I saw it but it went down, he said. I called 911 and then Channel 2 right away. I didnt see any smoke.
Lisa Diana said her family was standing on the dock and witnessed the plane go into the river.
We were standing there watching this horrible, tragic accident, she said.
Speaking of those who only heard the noise as the plane crashed, she said, I would have rather heard it come over the house than witness what I saw.
She said her husband Drew showed emergency personnel where the plane hit the water, because the water was so still with no telltale signs of a plane crash.
They were out there in two seconds, she said. You could see nothing. It didnt feel real, I thought I was hallucinating.
Lisa said Drew was trying to look for the pilot in the water.
You feel so helpless, he was trying to look for somebody and help them get out.
Lisa said she is still concerned for both her sons.
Somebody died right in front of our eyes. Its sad. Now its a reality, that poor man.
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