Officials ID two people killed during small plane crash at North Perry Airport
PEMBROKE PINES -- A second person has died a day after after a small plane crashed at North Perry Airport, according to federal officials.
According to police, Felipe Becerra Cardenas, 31, of Pembroke Pines, was piloting the plane when it crashed upon takeoff Friday with two other people aboard.
Those passengers, both from Georgia, were identified by police as Shelby Thomas, 23, of Port Wentworth, and Jamal Hall, 25, of Decatur.
A police statement said Cardenas and Thomas died as a result of the crash while Hall remained hospitalized as of Monday.
The plane is being moved to a location in Fort Pierce so investigators can try to determine what caused the Cessna 172 to crash moments after take off.
Factors they're looking at include heat, the weight of the plane and if there were any mechanical problems.
The plane was on "a discovery flight." That's when someone pays an instructor to take them up into the sky because they're interested in learning to fly.
According to investigators, the instructor and a woman in the front seat were both killed and a man sitting in the back is in critical condition at the hospital.
"It took off, it then promptly went into a very high angle of attack, it crested the angle of attack at the top, did a nose down attitude, followed promptly by a left turn and impacted the ground between the runways." said investigator Aaron McCarter.
