Cary Plane Crash Victims Identified As Arizona Couple

As crews continue to investigate Monday's fatal plane crash in Cary, two people killed in the crash have been identified.

Wednesday, the state Medical Examiner identified the victims as Jerome Kurtz, 66, and his wife, Carolyn, 67, of Payson, Ariz. The plane was registered to the couple and Jerome Kurtz was piloting the plane.

Cary fire fighters drained the pond Wednesday to around two feet, so divers would have better luck searching for clues. Earlier in the day, they recovered another section of the plane's wing.

Officials said the four-seat single-engine Mooney M20M went down in the middle of a lake near the Brampton Moors apartments, located off West Chatham Street Monday afternoon.

The plane was making its third attempt to land at Raleigh-Durham International airport, about 5 miles away, when it clipped trees and crashed into the lake before breaking apart.

Divers located remains of one victim hours after the crash. Remains of the second victim, as well as debris and the plane's motor, were recovered Tuesday afternoon.

When the lead investigator was asked why Kurtz made several attempts to land, he said, "He [Kurtz] was not from this area." Officials are not sure whether that played a role in the crash.

Dive teams finished searching for wreckage Wednesday afternoon. The plane's pieces will be sent to Georgia where the National Transportation Safety Board will reconstruct the aircraft and the events leading up to the crash.

The town of Cary has since reopened the lake to visitors. However, officials ask that if you see further evidence in the surrounding area related to the crash, you are asked to contact the town's Emergency Communications Center at

(919) 469-4012

.