LOXAHATCHEE, Fla. — Two Delray Beach men were identified Saturday as the occupants of a helicopter that crashed Friday in Loxahatchee, the Palm Beach County sheriff's Office said.
Killed were Richard Preiser, 71, and Thomas Stout, 62. Sheriff's spokeswoman Teri Barbera didn't list the pilot of the chopper but a records check found out that both men had pilot licenses.
At 9 p.m. Friday, PBSO helicopter pilots located what appeared to be the wreckage of a helicopter in the J.W. Corbett Wildlife Management Area, west of Seminole Pratt Whitney Road and near North Palm Beach County General Aviation Airport. A chopper was last seen on the radar in the area at 4:30 p.m.
Deputies fconfirmed both occupants on board were dead.
The wreckage was secured overnight by PBSO and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Barbera said the aircraft was difficult to get to without specialized vehicles.
Palm Beach County Fire Rescue hazardous materials team, PBSO detectives, crime scene investigators and medical examiner's office personnel were at the scene to safely recover the deceased.
The National Transportation Safety Board has taken over the investigation into the crash.
Preiser was listed as president of Skyline Air LLC in incorporation data.
Stout was the principal owner for Brumardi Investments.