Maryland State Police have released the identities of the three men who died in a plane crash in Prince George’s County over the weekend.
The victims were identified as pilot Yoav Bomrind, 26, of Israel, and passengers David Rabinovitz, 19, of Israel, and Elad Neidik, 20, of Canada. All three men were pronounced dead at the scene by emergency medical personnel.
According to Maryland State Police, the crash occurred shortly before midnight Saturday in a wooded area near a residential community in Bowie.
Investigators say the single-engine Piper Cherokee was traveling from Ocean City, New Jersey, to Montgomery County Airpark when, for reasons still unknown, it went down.
Courtesy: FlightAware
“At approximately 11:45 p.m., an iPhone crash alert was received indicating a possible crash in the area of Routes 50 and 301,” Maryland State Police said. Multiple agencies launched a coordinated ground and aerial search effort. The aircraft was eventually located around 3:45 a.m. Sunday in a wooded area off Scarlett Oak Court, just yards from nearby homes.
“A tragic incident that we are here investigating today,” said Elana Russon of Maryland State Police. “It could’ve been even worse because of the proximity of the crash. It was literally right next to a townhome community in Bowie.”
Authorities reported no injuries on the ground.
Investigators believe the aircraft belonged to a local flight school in Montgomery County. It may have been conducting a training flight at the time of the crash.
Forensic analysts with the Maryland State Police processed the scene for evidence as investigators worked to determine what caused the aircraft to go down.
The National Transportation Safety Board, along with the Federal Aviation Administration, lead the ongoing investigation into the fatal crash.
