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The pilot of the small plane with three aboard that crashed in the waters off the Hamptons late Saturday morning has been identified as the owner of a Danbury flight training company and the two other bodies have now been recovered.
The first body recovered was that of pilot Munidat "Raj" Persaud, 41, of Waterbury, who is also the owner of the plane, state police said.
The two other bodies recovered were an adult female and an adult male, but the identity of both victims have not been confirmed, according to state police.
Persaud was a former airline flight engineer who worked for several airlines, including Pan American World Airways as a technical representative and avionics technician. He also worked as a bush pilot with several thousand hours of experience flying in the jungles of South America.
He owned and operated Danbury Flight Training, which provided flight instruction and training.
The aircraft, a Piper PA-34, departed from Danbury Municipal Airport for Charleston Executive Airport in South Carolina, according to the FAA.
At approximately 11:10 a.m Saturday, watchstanders at Sector Long Island Sound were notified by Southampton Police that the twin-engine plane had crashed into the Atlantic Ocean about one mile south of Dune Road in the Village of Quogue, the Coast Guard said.
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