Two men were killed after a small plane crashed Wednesday afternoon in Arundel, Maine.
The York County Sheriff's Office said the single-engine Beechcraft went down shortly after 2 p.m. in woods in the area of Sam's Road and Portland Road.
The pilot, 81-year-old Eldon Morrison of Yarmouth, and 55-year-old Paul Koziell of Scarborough were on board at the time, authorities said. Both were killed on impact.
On Thursday the two men were remembered at a vigil.
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It was quite a shock...it was a lot to take in .. it was a restless night last night knowing that ..you know .. two people had lost their life and two people that were very very well respected in the construction community," said Aaron Welch, whose family's excavation company is near the crash site in Arundel. He heard the plane crash and rushed outside.
"I was at my desk working on some estimates and I heard the plane – go by – very close -- it sounded low... just a brief minute or two later I heard a crash," he said.
Sen. Susan Collins said Morrison and his wife were good friends of hers for years, with a terrific family. She called them generous supporters of worthy causes throughout Maine, impacting generations of students at UMaine. She extended her condolences to both Morrison and Koziell's families.
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The sheriff's office said the plane took off from Biddeford Airport early in the morning and arrived in Presque Isle after 9 p.m., leaving to return to Biddeford shortly after noon.
The aircraft is owned by CPM Construction, authorities said. Morrison was the company’s founder and CEO and Koziell served as the company’s president, according to the company website.
The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the cause of the crash.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
