Tybee Island flight instructor dies in Florida plane crash Wednesday night

Nancy Guan, Savannah Morning News
·2 min read
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A flight instructor from Tybee Island has been identified as one of the two victims of a Wednesday night plane crash in Volusia County, Fla., according to the Volusia Sheriff's Department.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are investigating the crash.

Miroslav D. Velickovich, 61, a resident from Tybee Island, and passenger Miguel Duarte of the Peruvian Air Force were conducting flight training exercises when they crashed into a wooded area in Osteen, a city about 35 miles north of Orlando.

The two took off from Spruce Creek Fly-In in Port Orange at around 4:30 p.m. in a single-engine MXR Technologies MX2 out of Tybee Island, GA.

Shortly after 6 p.m., the crash was reported to the Volusia County Sheriff's office after the plane had sent out an emergency signal to the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center. About an hour later, Air One located the plane about a mile north of the end of Lopez Road in Osteen, east of Lake Ashby, and guided deputies to the location through thick vegetation and swamp, read the sheriff's office press release.

This single enginaire craft crashed in Osteen Wednesday two hours after it took off from Spruce Creek Fly-in in Port Orange. A flight instructor and a passenger on board were killed.
This single enginaire craft crashed in Osteen Wednesday two hours after it took off from Spruce Creek Fly-in in Port Orange. A flight instructor and a passenger on board were killed.

The downed airplane was heavily damaged and had landed upside down, making it impossible to determine the number of occupants, said the press release. Initially, the rescue crew believed only one person was on board but later reported that there was a flight instructor and a passenger.

According to Velickovich's LinkedIn profile, he was an aerospace professional and had worked with the Aviation Marketing Group Inc. in aircraft sales since 1994. The company listed him as part of the executive board and his biography states he comes from an aviation family as his father was a tail gunner for the RAF before immigrating to Peru. His personal credentials include a Certified FAA Pilot rating as well as several FAA class aviation technician licenses.

The FAA and NTSB are still investigating the causes and circumstances of the crash.

Nancy Guan is the general assignment reporter covering Chatham County municipalities. Reach her at nguan@gannett.com or on Twitter @nancyguann.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Flight instructor from Tybee Island dies in Florida plane crash