The victims of the Piper PA 28 that took off at Republic Airport in Farmingdale at about 2:18 p.m. on Sunday and crashed shortly after have been identified.
They were a mother and daughter who booked the flight through a Groupon, said Oleh N. Dekajl, attorney for Danny Waizman Flight School at Republic Airport.
The New Jersey duo were two of the three people aboard when the single-engine plane crashed in North Lindenhurst Sunday, near the intersection of Wellwood Avenue and 5th Street.
The pilot and one passenger were taken to Stony Brook University Hospital for treatment of injuries, the National Transportation Safety Board said. The second passenger was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police.
Dekajl could not confirm which passenger suffered the fatal injuries.
The experience was supposed to be a standard demonstration flight, for people who were interested in taking lessons, or just for fun, he explained.
“These flights are very common, they’re used as birthday gifts, employers give them to employees for bonuses,” said Dekajl. He also said that Danny Waizman is a highly reputable school with strict standards.
“This specific flight school has graduated literally hundreds of pilots who go one to work for major airlines,” he said.
The Piper PA 28 had recently gone through a 100-hour inspection in January and a 50-hour inspection last week. “Everything that’s done is first-rate,” said Dekajl.
