A day after a small plane was found crashed in a wooded area near homes in Bowie, Maryland, a community is mourning three young men who lost their lives – and investigators are working to learn what happened.
A single-engine Piper Cherokee crashed near townhomes at about 11:30 p.m. Saturday. The wreckage was found at about 3:45 a.m. Sunday, after first responders received an iPhone crash notification.
Yoav Bomrind, 26, of Israel, was the pilot, Maryland State Police said in an update Monday. His passengers were David Rabinovitz, 19, of Israel, and Elad Naidik, 20, of Canada.
The men were headed from Ocean City, New Jersey, to the Montgomery County Air Park in Gaithersburg, Maryland State Police said.
Members of the aviation community, friends and loved ones gathered at the air park on Monday to pay their respects. Bomrind’s family declined to speak on camera. One woman clutched what appeared to be a backpack.
Where Bomrind lived in Gaithersburg, neighbors said they were sorry to hear what happened.
“It’s devastating to hear. Especially because it’s so close to here too,” one man said. He said the men had always greeted him with a smile.
The flight school asked for privacy in the wake of the deaths.
Crews remove plane wreckage near Bowie townhouses
At the crash scene, crews worked to remove the plane wreckage on Monday afternoon.
The National Transportation Safety Board was on the scene, working to learn what happened off Scarlet Oak Terrace, in the Bowie Forest neighborhood off Route 50 and Route 301.
Neighbors said they heard what they thought was thunder or a car crash but didn’t see smoke or fire.
The crash wreckage will be taken to a facility for evaluation.
No information was immediately released on why the plane may have crashed. According to dispatch audio, the Federal Aviation Administration reported losing contact with the aircraft, and friends of the men found the wreckage.
Investigators will look at factors including the pilot, the plane, the environment, weather reports and aircraft maintenance records.
Residents of the Bowie neighborhood said they were stunned by what happened.
“I guess the trees kind of stopped the impact from hitting the back of our townhouses, and I want to thank God for that, that it didn’t hit our townhouse or catch on fire,’” Vaughn Mackall said.
The NTSB will release a preliminary report within 30 days. A final report with probable cause and contributing factors will be released within 12 to 24 months.
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