WEST MILFORD, N.J. (AP) - Federal officials say engine failure apparently caused a small plane crash in northern New Jersey this month that killed a minister known for his humanitarian efforts.
A preliminary National Transportation Safety Board report says the Rev. Andrew Topp told a flight instructor at Greenwood Lake Airport in West Milford about a potential problem with his 1968 Piper PA-32-300’s Lycoming’s engine shortly before it crashed May 2, sparking a small brush fire.
Topp was alone in the plane.
Relatives say he was a longtime pastor of the First Reformed Church of Boonton and also ran a contracting business. He was involved in numerous humanitarian efforts over the years, such as working to build an orphanage and coordinate the delivery of medical supplies in Haiti following a devastating earthquake in 2010.
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