Authorities said the plane was taking off from Linden Airport when the crash occurred around 4 p.m. It went down near Linden Avenue, which is not far from the small general aviation airport along Routes 1 & 9.
The aircraft then burst into flames, but firefighters were able to quickly extinguish most of the blaze while emergency responders attended to the victims. The plane did not hit anything or anyone on the ground, authorities said.
Details about the plane, including where it was headed at the time of the crash, were not immediately clear.
Alison Duquette, a Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman, said the pilot had reported mechanical problems shortly before the crash occurred, but she added that the cause of the accident remained under investigation.
Duquette also said officials had not yet determined the make of the plane or its tail number due to the extensive damage caused by the fire, so it was not immediately known who owned the plane.
