Slain pilots shared a loved for flying
But they died together in a fiery crash that also killed little boy
PEMBROKE PINES — One was selling his plane and the other was an airplane broker, a man who bartered deals and flew planes to new suitors, often in South America. Perhaps that’s why Yaacov Nahom and Grant Hustad headed off in Nahom’s airplane Tuesday.
The trip ended in two minutes, killing both men. The plane barreled down and struck a passing SUV, also killing a little boy who was riding in the car with his mother.
The Broward medical examiner, relying on dental evidence, confirmed those inside the plane were Nahom and Hustad, two men who each had years of experience as pilots. Many questions remained Wednesday, including whether the plane had mechanical problems before it crashed just a few hundred yards from the runway at North Perry Airport.
Megan Bishop, the driver of the SUV, was the only survivor. Her 4-year-old son, Taylor, had been strapped in a car seat on the side that was hit by the plane. He died at the hospital.
Hustad, who had decades of flight experience, would’ve done all he could to prevent the tragedy, said his neighbor, Bill Ranney. “He would have traded his life for that boy’s,” he said.
The National Transportation Safety Board as well as the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating. The plane may have experienced mechanical issues, given it was last tracked by radar as flying for only 20 minutes on March 9.
Monday’s flight was too quick, not reaching a high enough altitude to be picked up by radar in Miami or Fort Lauderdale.
What is known is that Hustad, 71, and Nahom, 63, had just departed the airport and quickly turned back Monday.
On the way down the six-seater
plane clipped a power line, then crashed into the SUV before exploding in a tower of flames.
Because the weather on Tuesday was ideal for flying, there was no requirement for the pilot to file a flight plan that would have informed the air traffic control tower of the destination and anticipated altitude.
Both men were experienced pilots: Nahom received his certification to fly in 2016, and Hustad received his in 1974, according to the FAA. At this point, it is not clear who was in the pilot’s seat although pilots are able to fly a plane from either seat. Records show Nahom is the registered agent of the aviation company that owns the plane. He had the plane, a Beachcraft Bonanza, listed for sale for $299,000.
People gathered at
Nahom’s house in Davie on Tuesday afternoon. They declined to comment.
As much as Hustad loved to fly, he, too, loved to be out on the ocean.
He and a handful of others founded the South Florida Sailors and Boaters Club in 2015. During its inaugural year, Hustad served as the commodore.
“He was a good start-up man,” said current commodore John Shafer.
Hustad loved being on the water so much he lived on his boat. “Grant was a good man. A meticulous pilot and navigator,” said Ranney, a fellow boat captain.
Hustad had been living on a sailboat docked near Hendricks Isle in Fort Lauderdale for about a year, according to Ranney. He was saddened to hear of the loss of his nautical neighbor and thinks his friend would have done everything in his power to avoid hitting someone on the ground if he were at the controls.
Alan Levitt said he and Hustad spent much time together out on the water. He said he could not believe what he was hearing Tuesday when he learned that it was one of his friends who was killed in the horrific crash that was captured on a Ring doorbell camera.
“When I heard it was him, that just knocks you off your feet,” Levitt said.
Levitt said his friend was generous, always welcoming people aboard his boat. Hustad recently purchased the boat of his dreams, Levitt said.
“That was really his life,” Levitt said. “He loved to travel, and he was a very experienced pilot and captain.
“He was just one hell of a nice guy, always smiling, always there for other people. It’s just very tragic.”