SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Two of the three victims killed in a small plane crash in Arizona have ties to San Diego.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said a single-engine Piper PA-28 went down after departing an airport in Williams, Arizona Tuesday afternoon.
One of the victims, 44-year-old Christopher Evans, was from La Mesa and a flight instructor at San Diego Flight Training International.
"I actually signed him up as a flight student many years ago. He was very studious, very committed," said Philip Thalheimer, President of San Diego Flight Training International.
Thalheimer said flight school was a career change for Evans, who ultimately wanted to become a commercial pilot.
"He was well on his way to do that. He would have been very successful," Thalheimer said.
Thalheimer said Evans had only been a flight instructor for a few months when the crash happened.
The second victim, 31-year-old Hyemoon Kim, was piloting the aircraft. Kim was also a student at the flight school.
Thalheimer said Kim was a huge Padres fan.
"I would hear stories of him going to Petco Park and dancing in the stands. He was really a great guy," Thalheimer said.
Authorities identified the third victim as 51-year-old Dakota Almazan from Las Vegas.
Thalheimer said the men's deaths are a blow to the aviation community, which is small and close-knit.
"We miss them. They were really, really important to the school, and they will be missed," Thalheimer said.
The FAA and NTSB are investigating the cause of the crash.
