The two men killed when a small plane crashed at MacArthur Airport on Long Island on Monday have been identified as a couple from Virginia.
Christopher Kucera, 46, and Zachary Hatcher, 43, died when their single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza A36 plane crashed shortly after taking off from Ronkonkoma Airport about 6:15 p.m., according to Suffolk County police.
Officials said Kucera, of Fredericksburg, was piloting the plane and Hatcher, of King George, was the only passenger.
Both were pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.
The couple had been visiting friends on Long Island and were on their way back to Virginia at the time of the murders.
Witnesses said the plane had just taken off but quickly returned to the runway before crashing into a grassy area.
Kucera, an aerospace engineer, was an experienced pilot who learned to fly before he was 17. His brother, Mike Kucera, He told the Fredericksburg Free Press..
“Chris died doing what he loved most, with the man he loved most at his side, and for that we are grateful,” he told the local publication.
He believes the plane lost power and crashed.
“Considering the engine stopped shortly after takeoff, Chris is a hero for avoiding casualties on the ground,” he said.
“We are heartbroken,” Mike Kucera added. “Chris loved that plane and he loved Zach.”
Hatcher, meanwhile, was set to begin a new role as CEO of the nonprofit Community Foundation of the Rappahannock River Region early next month, the Free Press reported.
“Zach and Chris were just fun to be around,” said the charity’s outgoing CEO, Teri McNally. “I was talking to someone today and they both made you feel like they were their best friend. People say, ‘He was my best friend.'”
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the fatal crash.
