Identity Of 2 Men Killed In MacArthur Plane Crash Revealed: Police

ISLIP, NY — The two men killed in a plane crash at Long Island MacArthur Airport Monday evening have been identified, Suffolk County police announced.

The pilot has been identified as Christopher Kucera, 46, of Fredericksburg, Virgina and the passenger has been identified as Zachary Hatcher, 43, of King George, Virginia.

On Monday evening around 6 p.m., a single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza A36 crashed near the end of the runway at Long Island Mac Arthur Airport, Mina Kaji, the Federal Aviation Administration's communications officer, told Patch.

Suffolk County Police said the pilot attempted to take off heading south from runway 6 but crashed while attempting to return to the same runway. Both men were pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

On Tuesday, Islip officials announced four flight cancellations because of the crash, including Frontier Airlines flights 3389 and Southwest flights 759, 3118 and 4957. As of press time, cancellations due to the closure are scheduled through 2 p.m. Tuesday, officials told Patch.

Islip officials told Patch that while runway 6 is closed until the National Transportation Safety Board completes their investigation. However, runway 15R/33L is operational, said Caroline Smith, the Town of Islip's communications officer .