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NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- 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, of Daytona Beach, and Gustav Granholm, 21, of Holly Hill. Their names were released by the Volusia County Sheriff's Office by late afternoon after the bodies were recoved mid-morning in the wreckage about 200 yards from the shoreline ogf Bethune Beach.
Divers with the Volusia County Sheriff's Office were assisted with the recovery of the victims 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 in 20-foot deep surf. The cause of the 6:30 p.m. Wednesday crash, in which the plane was seen spiraling straight down into the ocean by eyewitnesses, is being investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board.
According to the FAA, the single-engine Cessna 172 Skyhawk flew out of Sarasota and was on its way to Daytona Beach International Airport when it crashed off New Smyrna Beach. The plane was owned by the Phoenix East Aviation flight school in Daytona Beach.
An NTSB investigator said the cause of the crash may not be known for months, if not a year from now because of the complexity of the data needed to complete the investigation.