Federal investigators are on the ground in Topeka trying to figure out what caused a plane crash that killed two men Monday night.
The Kansas Highway Patrol identified the two as Dr. William Leeds of Topeka, 62, and James Bergman of Leawood, who went by Kevin, 55.
The KHP report said the two were flying over Shawnee County when their plane missed the runway during landing and crashed.
The airplane hit the ground, spun around and slid into a field between the runway and a taxi road. Both men died due to injuries from the crash.
Bergman was the co-pilot, according to the report.
There was no indication of what might have caused the crash.
KHP's report identifies the plane as a 1965 Piper PA-30 fixed wing, multi-engine aircraft.
Close friends told 41 Action News Leeds was on the plane with Bergman, his flight instructor, in the hopes of getting one more practice in before taking a certification test on Wednesday. Leeds was trying to obtain his multi-engine rating.
41 Action News Skytracker Pilot Gregg Bourden has extensive experience flying multi-engine aircraft and offered insight into the training process.
"While you're out there training, the instructor will actually simulate the failure of one engine, so actually reduce the throttle on one engine," Bourden explained.
We don't yet know what part of Leeds and Bergman's practice flight went wrong, but friends told us they're heartbroken to lose two wonderful men.
Leeds founded Pulmonary & Sleep Associates in Topeka in 1998. A former flight instructor said Leeds wanted his multi-engine rating so he could help more patients by flying across the state as a pulmonology consultant. Leeds leaves behind a wife and two children.
Bergman worked as a computer programmer by day and a flight instructor part-time. A friend told us he also leaves behind two kids.
The Johnson County owner of the plane told 41 Action News over the years the two men flew a combined 160 hours in the twin commanche that eventually crashed, claiming both their lives.
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Editor's note: The age of William Leeds and where he is from have been updated to correct errors in the KHP crash report.
