PEMBROKE PINES, FLA. (WSVN) - Authorities have identified both of the victims who, they said, were killed when their plane crashed in West Broward.
According to the Broward Sheriff’s Office, 51-year-old Mohamed Badenjki and 37-year-old Khadim Kebe were the victims killed in the crash.
The incident happened after a Cessna crashed north of Alligator Alley, between mile markers 27 and 28. The aircraft was located Wednesday morning.
According to Badenjki’s family, he was a pilot but it remains unclear whether or not he was the pilot of the single-engine Cessna 172 Skyhawk that crashed in the Everglades.
Badenjki became a pilot after a career in the airline industry, working in customer service.
Both victims had their pilot licenses.
Badenjki is survived by his ex-wife and his son.
According to police chatter, the girlfriend of one of the victims called them Wednesday morning.
“The girlfriend called. He was supposed to call her when she landed, and he did not. His phone is off,” said a dispatcher.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, it was an instructional flight. The cause of the crash remains unclear.
Investigators said the Cessna left North Perry Airport at around 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The flight path shows the aircraft did not get far.
“We immediately responded units from our station out of the Everglades and surrounding stations,” said Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue Chief Michael Kane.
Shortly after, first responders located the plane. The fuselage was crumpled and still burning.
“We’re talking 16 hours, 18 hours of those two parties being out there in the Everglades,” said Kane.
The plane was owned by A.T.A. Flight School out of North Perry Airport, where FAA investigators were spotted as they try to piece the whole thing together.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash. The investigation will likely take several weeks.
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