ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS PILOT DIED IN CRASH
The pilot killed in the crash of a single-engine plane in Wayne on Monday night was from Atlantic Highlands.
Andrew Coppolo, 55, owned an engineering firm in Orange and flew frequently on business and as a volunteer, ferrying cancer patients to chemotherapy treatments at his own expense. He had more than 30 years flying experience, including a long stint as a helicopter pilot in the New Jersey National Guard, according to reports.
The New York Times reports that one of the emergency responders to the crash was Coppolo’s 25-year-old son, Scott. The younger man recognized the plane’s tail number and his father’s cellphone in the burned wreckage.
The Star-Ledger has an account that has some details of the last minutes of the flight. The Asbury Park Press carried a wire story from the Associated Press.