Staff Writers
Two Spotswood men, both 23, killed in plane crash
Plane carrying Patrick Cook and Michael Logan crashed in Marlboro
& theresa a. boschen
Staff Writers
Two 23-year-old men from Spotswood died in the Sunday night crash of a Cessna 172 aircraft near Marlboro Airport, Route 79 in Marlboro, Monmouth County.
The airplane’s pilot, Patrick Cook, had received his pilot’s license just days before and had invited his friend, Michael Logan, to accompany him on the flight that ended in tragedy at about 7:30 p.m., according to Monmouth County Prosecutor John Kaye.
"Mr. Cook was a brand-new pilot," Kaye said, explaining that the airplane flipped after striking high tension wires on its approach to the airport. The plane came to rest in a grassy area near a cemetery on Route 79 that is just north of the airport.
"There’s nothing suspicious about this," said Kaye, who indicated he received the information about the crash as part of death reports in Monmouth County that are routinely presented to him.
Cook was pronounced dead at 10 p.m. Sunday at the crash scene, according to Beverly Walker, marketing communications specialist, CentraState Healthcare System, Freehold Township. She said CentraState received a 911 call at 8:30 p.m. Sunday.
Kaye said Logan died at 5 a.m. Monday at Jersey Shore Medical Center, Neptune.
Alan Heckler, the owner of Esquire Aviation, L.L.C., a corporation registered in Dover, Del., with headquarters in Freehold, said the firm leased the plane to Marlboro Airport.
Heckler said he understood that Cook was a new pilot and flying at night, and "that might have been a contributing factor" in the crash.
Heckler said he visited the site of the crash and said representatives of the National Transportation Safety Board, which is investigating the crash, confirmed that the plane hit the high tension wires in the vicinity of the airport.
A woman who answered the phone at the Marlboro Airport on Monday said the owner was unavailable for comment. That person would not say if the airport had rented the plane to Cook.
People who knew Logan and Cook said they were shocked at the news. The two Spotswood residents were well-regarded in the community.
"It’s really a tragedy to lose any young people, especially at this age with their lives ahead of them," Spotswood Mayor Barry Zagnit said.
"They were both fine young men. I knew Pat (Cook) better than Michael. The family has been in the town for many years."
Zagnit said they were "both very good kids," and that he also knew Cook because of his involvement with the Spotswood First Aid Squad. Zagnit, a former police chief, also said he talked to Cook about law enforcement because the young man was interested in that as a career.
"He was looking to be a police officer and he had asked me to sign some reference papers for him as he went for a job," Zagnit said. "He was excited about taking the tests, and we talked about a career in law enforcement, the pros and cons."
"I know both families, and this is truly a tragedy for them. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families," he said.
David Hayes, assistant principal and athletic director at Spotswood High School, knew both men well, as both graduated from the school in 1996.
"They were very good friends. They hung around with each other. Both graduated from Immaculate Conception, then came to high school here," Hayes said.
"I knew Mike’s dad because he served on our Board of Education, so I knew Mike before high school. I met Pat at high school," he said.
Logan started all four years on the high school’s varsity soccer team, and the team won its division title at least once during that time, he said. Logan also excelled in track, which he ran all four years, setting school records in the process.
"He was a good athlete, solidly built and fast," Hayes said.
Cook played football at the school, but was more interested in hockey, he said. Since the high school does not have a hockey team, Cook played in other leagues.
Hayes said he stayed in contact with both men after graduation.
"Pat was on the first aid squad for a long time; it was something he always enjoyed. My son is on the first aid, so I saw him that way," he said.
Cook wanted to be a state trooper or a regular police officer and use his piloting skills in the vocation, Hayes said.
Logan would come back to watch high school games, and Hayes would often talk to him there, he said.
"Mike went to UMass [University of Massachusetts]," he said. "He was done with college and was working for Pricewaterhouse. It was a very good job.
"This is as bad a thing as you can have happen," Hayes said of the plane crash.
"They were both good kids, quiet but with a sense of humor. They had good values and were pleasant people. If you had poster boys for the school, you’d certainly consider these two kids as them," he said.