Michigan plane crash: 3 men from Mexico believed to be victims in Bath Township crash
BATH TOWNSHIP, Mich. (FOX 2) - Three men killed in a plane crash last week in Bath Township are believed to be pilots and a mechanic who were from Mexico, according to township officials.
Rodolfo Pimentel Zamora, a pilot from Mexico City; Francisco del moral Jimenez, a pilot from Ciudad de México, and Espejo Javier Rodriguez, a mechanic from Veracruz, were flying in Michigan when their Hawker 800XP crashed Thursday afternoon.
Township officials said authorities worked with the Mexican Consulate office in Detroit and the medical examiner's office at University of Michigan Health - Sparrow Hospital to determine the identities, but they have not been confirmed. DNA testing to confirm the identities of the victims is expected to take several weeks.
The backstory:
According to FlightRadar, the plane took off from Battle Creek Executive Airport just before 5:10 p.m. Thursday. The plane flew northeast toward Lansing. As it passed Lansing, its speed decreased before crashing near Clark and Peacock roads within the Rose Lake State Wildlife Research Area.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
The Source: This information is from Bath Township officials and FlightRadar.