BAYONNE -- Investigators expect it will take months to determine what caused a small plane to crash in a residential neighborhood on Sunday. 

The single-engine Piper PA-28 aircraft crashed on Avenue E near 41st Street at about 10 a.m. The pilot of the plane, George Pettway, of Long Island, was the only person injured, authorities said. 

Leah Read, senior air safety investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board, said Pettway departed from Republic Airport in East Farmingdale about an hour before the crash. 

Just before the small aircraft plummeted to the ground, Pettway reported having engine problems, although Read said it has not been determined if engine failure was in fact to blame for the crash. 

The NTSB plans to interview the pilot either late Tuesday evening or sometime Wednesday, Read said. 

Investigators believe Pettway was out on a "pleasure flight" and did not have plans to land at any other airport before returning to East Farmingdale, she said. 

Read emphasized the NTSB is still "very much" in the preliminary phase of the investigation and the agency is "several months away" from determining what caused the crash. 

Early findings of the investigation are likely to be released next week. 

Dozens of residents flooded the neighborhood Sunday morning and into the early evening hours to get a glimpse of the mangled plane. Thousands of residents were without power but the crash did not cause any structural damage.

Caitlin Mota may be reached at cmota@jjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter @caitlin_mota. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook.

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