Three identified in Bowie plane crash near homes and playground

Prince George’s County authorities have identified the three men killed when a single-engine plane crashed in Bowie late Saturday, a wreck that landed in woods near a townhouse community and a playground off Scarlet Oak Terrace.

The victims were pilot Yoav Bomrind, 26, of Israel, and passengers David Rabinovitz, 19, of Israel, and Elad Neidik, 20, of Canada. All three died at the scene, and no one else was injured on the ground.

The aircraft was a Piper Cherokee that took off from Ocean City, New Jersey, and was headed to Montgomery County Airpark in Gaithersburg when it went down around 11:30 p.m. Saturday, June 20. Investigators believe the plane belonged to a Montgomery County flight school and was on a training flight.

The wreck was not found until about 3:45 a.m., after an iPhone crash notification alerted authorities around 11:45 p.m. to a possible impact near Route 50 and Route 301. Ground and aerial crews from multiple agencies searched through the night before locating the plane in woods near Scarlet Oak Terrace. A wing landed in a backyard.

The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are leading the crash investigation. Local officials are looking at what caused the plane to go down, whether mechanical failure played a role, whether the aircraft was flying too low, and whether flight operations connected to Montgomery County Airpark need closer scrutiny.

The crash set off a wider community response as word spread that the victims were young Jewish men. Rabbi Eli Baron of Chabad of Bowie said the loss shocked the community, and people gathered at Montgomery County Airpark to pay respects. Jewish community groups and volunteers also stepped in to help the families after the crash.