February 18, 2011
Gary Davidson
Public Information Officer

BODIES OF PLANE CRASH VICTIMS RECOVERED AND IDENTIFIED

The bodies of the two victims from Wednesday’s plane crash were recovered at approximately 10:20 a.m. this morning. Divers with the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office were assisted with the recovery by Volusia County Beach Patrol along with the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office’s Dive Team and the use of their agency’s side scan sonar units.

The bodies were found inside the cabin of the plane, which is in approximately 20 feet of water and about 200 yards off the shore of Bethune Beach. The bodies have been brought to shore and will be turned over to the Volusia County Medical Examiner’s Office for autopsies. The Sheriff’s Office’s Major Case Unit also is conducting a death investigation, which is customary with fatal plane crashes.

A large portion of the aircraft’s engine has been located in the water and marked with buoys. The cause of the crash is being investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board.

Updated: 3:26 p.m.

The victims from Wednesday’s plane crash have been identified as two residents of Norway who had been living locally. They are: 

-William Bloch, 28, Daytona Beach (instructor)
-Gustav Granholm, 21, Holly Hill (student)