Report: Engine failure apparently caused deadly plane crash

WEST MILFORD, N.J. – 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 co-ordinate the delivery of medical supplies in Haiti following a devastating earthquake in 2010.