CHANDLER, Ariz. — Both victims in a deadly mid-air crash above Chandler Municipal Airport have been identified by authorities.
The Chandler Police Department said 34-year-old Michael Papendick and 27-year-old Jessica Brandal were in the helicopter that collided with a small plane on Oct. 1.
Papendick and Brandal’s helicopter crashed and caught fire, but the plane’s pilot was able to make an emergency landing.
“I had I had a hunch that that was him," Papendick’s wife Rebecca said after hearing reports of the crash. "I was really hoping it wasn't him.”
Papendick was a Navy veteran who was training to become a pilot.
The two aircraft were operated by the Quantum Helicopters and Flight Operations Academy flight schools.
NTSB officials along with the FAA are investigating how the collision happened.
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