2 victims in plane crash at MacArthur Airport – Virginia couple identified

The two men who died when their small plane crashed at MacArthur Airport on Long Island on Monday have been identified as a couple from Virginia.

Christopher Kucera, 46, and Zachary Hatcher, 43, died when their single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza A36 crashed shortly after takeoff from Ronkonkoma Airport around 6:15 p.m., Suffolk County police said.

Authorities said Kucera of Fredericksburg was piloting the plane and Hatcher of King George was its only passenger.

Both were pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.

The couple had been visiting friends on Long Island and were on their way back to Virginia when they were killed.

According to witnesses, the plane had just taken off but quickly returned to the runway before crashing into a grassy area.

Kucera, an aerospace engineer, was an experienced pilot who learned to fly before he was 17, his brother Mike Kucera told the Fredericksburg Free Press.

“Chris died doing what he loved most and with the man he loved most. For that we are grateful,” he told the local newspaper.

He believes the plane’s performance decreased and it crashed.

“Given the loss of power so soon after launch, Chris is a hero for avoiding casualties on the ground,” he said.

“We are devastated,” added Mike Kucera. “Chris loved that plane and he loved Zach.”

Meanwhile, Hatcher is set to begin a new job as CEO of the nonprofit Community Foundation of the Rappahannock River Region early next month, the Free Press reported.

“Zach and Chris were lovely people,” said the charity’s outgoing executive director, Teri McNally. “I was telling someone today that they both made you feel like your best friends. Everyone says, ‘He was my best friend.'”

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the fatal crash.