A former Manhattan cardiologist killed when his plane crashed into a quiet New Jersey neighborhood last week was still alive at the time of impact, according to preliminary autopsy results.

Michael Schloss, 74, had soot in his lungs, indicating he was still breathing when his Cessna 414A burst into flames in the Woodbridge Township community of Colonia, according to a spokesman for the Middlesex County medical examiner.

The coroner said Schloss’ heart also did not appear to be in distress at the time of the crash, suggesting that he did not suffer a heart attack.

A full autopsy report, including toxicology tests, will take several more weeks.

Schloss was flying from Leesburg Executive Airport in Virginia to Linden Airport in New Jersey when his plane plummeted to the ground.

The Oct. 29 fire burned three homes on Berkley Avenue, but no injuries were reported on the ground.

Schloss ran a cardiology practice in Kips Bay until selling the building about a year ago, neighbors said. He and is wife were living in Port Orange, Florida.

He was a veteran pilot who owned two planes — the 1980 Cessna and a 1942 Boeing B75N1 Stearman biplane. Both were registered in Delaware to Schloss’ company, Warbird Associates.

The National Transportation Safety Board, which is probing the crash said it could take up to two years to nail it down the cause.

With Post wires