PBSO ID's men who died after small plane crashed into marsh near North County Airport

PALM BEACH GARDENS — The two men aboard a small plane that crashed into a marsh while taking off from North Palm Beach County Airport on Wednesday have died, the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office reported.

The sheriff's office on Thursday identified the men as Stephen Taylor, 59, of Hollywood and Gojko Damjanic, 58, of Fort Lauderdale. Doctors pronounced them dead upon their arrival at a hospital Wednesday.

The National Transportation Safety Board will lead the investigation into the fatal crash of the Piper PA-28, a series of light aircraft containing either two or four seats and designed for flight training and personal use.

Daniel Boggs, an NTSB investigator, said at a news conference at the airport Thursday that the two men were a flight instructor and a private pilot who was taking lessons to get his instrument rating. He did not name them or say which one was the flight instructor.

Boggs said the pilot and instructor were taking the Piper PA-28 from Pompano Beach to Sarasota, then to Melbourne and to North County Airport, practicing touch-and-go landings.

"They like to come to these airports because it's easier to get in and out of the flight, and it's not a lot of stress on the student pilot," Boggs said.

Damjanic was an international recruitment counselor for the Berklee College of Music in Boston.

"Gojko played a key role in Berklee's international recruitment efforts for over a decade. He was deeply admired by his peers and leadership alike, with a sophisticated and human-centered approach to his work. Our sincerest condolences go out to Gojko's family. He will be deeply missed," said Damien S. Bracken, the school's dean of admissions.

Details on Taylor weren't immediately available.

Crews have removed the plane from the pond in which it landed and will take it to a salvage site. Once it's there, investigators will inspect the engine and air frame and review the pilot's qualifications, among other things. They'll also look at radar data and information on the FlightAware website.

A preliminary report is expected in about two weeks, Boggs said. A final report will take about 18 months to complete.

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The preliminary information is that the aircraft was departing from North County Airport when, for unknown reasons, it crashed into a marsh area at the end of the runway, the NTSB said. Callers to 911 said the plane went into a lake area north of the runway off the Beeline Highway, Palm Beach County Fire Rescue reported.

Deputies responded to the wreck just before 2:15 p.m., and PBSO reported shortly after 3:30 p.m. that rescue crews had found the men.

A Federal Aviation Administration database indicates the plane was built in 1979 and was certified to fly through January 2027.

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The fuselage of the aircraft was located under water by the sheriff's Eagle helicopter. The men were brought to shore in the helicopter's rescue basket.

Dive crews from the sheriff's office, Palm Beach Gardens Fire Rescue and Palm Beach County Fire Rescue took part in the search. West Palm Beach police and the sheriff's office marine units also responded to the scene.

Staff writer Maya Washburn contributed to this story.

Julius Whigham II is a criminal justice and public safety reporter for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at [email protected] and follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @JuliusWhigham. Help support our work: Subscribe today. 

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Two men dead after small plane crashes near north county airport