Bodies of Two Israelis Killed in U.S. Plane Crash Returned to Israel

The coffins of two of the three Israelis killed in a light-plane crash in the eastern United States arrived in Israel overnight Wednesday. The remains were brought to Ben Gurion Airport, where formal release procedures were completed before the bodies were transferred for burial. The third victim will be buried in Toronto, according to his family’s wishes.

David Rabinowitz will be buried on Thursday at 4:00 p.m. in Tel Regev cemetery, and Yoav Bomarind will be laid to rest at 6:00 p.m. in Kerem Maharal cemetery. The third victim’s name has not yet been made public.

The three Israelis died when a Piper PA-28 crashed in Prince George’s County, Maryland, less than 30 kilometers east of Washington. Initial estimates say the plane took off from Ocean City, New Jersey, and was heading to Montgomery County, Maryland, when it went down for reasons that remain unclear. Rescue, fire and police teams searched for nearly four hours in the dark before locating the wreckage at 3:45 a.m. The aircraft crashed in a wooded area very close to a residential neighborhood and a local playground.

The repatriation process was coordinated by Israeli officials working with U.S. authorities to speed up identification and transport so the families could say goodbye. Yossi Landau, commander of ZAKA’s Lachish region and a volunteer with its international unit, worked with the Foreign Ministry on the release of the bodies. ZAKA volunteers were also dealing at the same time with another incident in the United States, a car accident in Malibu that killed two more Israelis. The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board has opened an investigation, and reports say the plane belonged to a local flight school and was on a training flight.