Victims of plane crash identified

The names of two local aviators killed Monday in an airplane crash at Sundance Airpark have been released by the state medical examiner's office. Doug Durning, 60, was pronounced dead at the scene Monday and Britton Lee, 43, died after being taken to a hospital from the crash on the runway. Officials have not reported who was flying the airplane when it crashed. Federal investigators will work to determine what happened during a landing attempt, said FAA spokesman Lynn Lunsford in Dallas. An investigator from the National Transportation Safety Board was expected to arrive at the airport at 13000 Sara Road Tuesday. About 3:40 p.m. Monday, the twinengine, 1978 Westwind jet airplane was returning from Panama City, Florida, when it crashed on the north end of the runway. Deborah Floyd, a spokeswoman for Sundance, said Durning and Lee were close friends with the owners and those who work at Sundance. Floyd said the airport would release a statement after meeting with family members Tuesday. Jerry Hunter, owner of the airport, took to social media Tuesday to comment about the crash. He described the loss of the two pilots as “crippling.” “I was honored to call these skilled aviators my friends. My thoughts and prayers are with their families and those that hold them dear. They will be remembered and their loss will never be forgotten,” Hunter wrote on Facebook. Keith Holloway, spokesman for the NTSB in Washington, D.C., said the airplane will be examined Tuesday at the airport. The airplane is owned by Sundance Airport FBO LLC, according to the FAA website. Durning was a pilot and flight instructor who served in the U.S. Air Force and had worked in the aerospace industry. Lee was also a local pilot and flight instructor who founded Pilotmakerokc, according to her website. Lee served in the Army National Guard, according to the site.