Flight instructor, passenger killed in Volusia County plane crash identified
VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. - A flight instructor and passenger who were killed when their plane crashed into a wooded area in Volusia County this week have been identified.
Miroslav D. Velickovich, 61, of Tybee Island, Ga., and passenger Miguel Duarte, 34, of the Peruvian Air Force, were killed in the crash on Wednesday, according to the Volusia County Sheriff's Office.
The FAA said the single-engine MX Aircraft MX2 took off from Spruce Creek Fly-in Airport for training exercises around 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
The aircraft was located by the Sheriff's Office Air One helicopter in Osteen, near Pell Rd. and Ashby Ln. around 7 p.m.
The plane had reportedly sent an emergency signal to the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center prior to crashing, which was reported around 6 p.m. The sheriff's office Air One helicopter located the wreckage in a wood area around 7 p.m., near Lopez Road in Osteen.
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Authorities originally said that one person had died and was believed to have been the sole person aboard.
"Because the downed airplane was heavily damaged and upside down, and it was impossible to immediately confirm the number of occupants. It was initially believed only one person was on board, but it was later reported that two people (a flight instructor and passenger) were in the plane," the sheriff's office said in a press release.
The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash. Details on what led to the crash are not yet known.
According to the NTSB, the plane was on an aerobatic training flight. An investigator responded to the scene to document the scene, examine the plane, and gather other information including air traffic communications, radar data and weather reports.
This is the second small aircraft to crash in Central Florida in less than a week. A pilot had to make an emergency landing on an Orlando-area roadway last week because he ran out of fuel and did not have enough to make it back to the airport.