Pilot killed in Killeen plane crash described as ‘experienced’ flight instructor

KILLEEN, Texas (KWTX) - Friends and fellow pilots are describing Bradley Guy Marzari, killed in a plane crash on the 4th of July, as an “experienced pilot” who taught young people how to operate aircraft.

The Texas Department of Public Safety on Sunday confirmed Marzari, 60, of Belton, Texas, was the pilot operating the plane that crashed into a field on private property at about 5:25 p.m. near Trimmer Road and Stagecoach Road in Killeen.

A spokeswoman for Killeen Police said the plane departed the New Braunfels Regional Airport and was traveling to the Skylark Field Airport when it crashed in the field.

A friend said Marzari, nicknamed “Launchpad,” was the president of The Killeen Experimental Aircraft Association.

“If you look at accidents, in general, about 80 percent of them are pilot error, and I’m absolutely convinced that he must have been in a small percentage of mechanical failure type of accidents,” said Max Trescott, a friend of Marzari.

“He was just very, very good at everything that he did. So, it’s hard for me to imagine that he made an error.”

Trescott said Sunday’s tragedy is one of the “downsides” of being in aviation.

“We do lose close friends in airplane accidents. And that’s, you know, a pain that never quite goes away,” Trescott said.

Investigators with the Transportation and Safety Board on Monday towed the wreckage of a deadly plane crash out of private property in Killeen.

The investigation could take in between 12 to 18 months, but a preliminary report is expected in two weeks.

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