KILLEEN, Texas — A guy you meet once in a lifetime. That's how friends described a Belton man who tragically died in a plane crash in Killeen on the 4th of July. Friends said Bradley Guy Marzari, also known as "Launchpad," was a skilled pilot who loved being in the sky.
He left Skylark Field in Killeen Sunday morning to make a day trip to New Braunfels.
He flew often so that wasn't unusual.
"He would just take off on weekends and go fly somewhere in Texas, go grab a burger or whatever," said Danial Thomas, who worked with Marzari for a few years.
But the frequent flyer never made it to his final destination on the evening of July 4. You can see the path flight here.
Marzari's single-engine plane crashed in a private field off Trimmier and Stagecoach Roads killing the skilled pilot.
"I know he was experienced, I know he probably knew what he was doing and the fact that it was so near the airport -- I have to think that he was just preparing to land like he normally probably had done a thousand times," said Thomas.
Witnesses who live near the crash site told 6 News they saw the plane fly over their house and said they heard a sputtering sound.
The Federal Aviation Administration has yet to release the cause of the fatal crash.
"You're left kind of wondering what happened," Thomas said.
Thomas said aviation was Marzari's passion, one of his favorite pastimes.
"Anything to do with planes he loved, so he even went to the Paris airshow -- I know that was a big deal for him," Thomas said.
But Marzari wasn't just known for his time in the sky.
According to friends, he left a lasting impression with his bright personality and courageous character.
"He loved adventure, he loved traveling, he loved flying, he was just one of those guys you meet once in a lifetime," said Thomas.
Investigators with both the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board were at the crash site July 5 as part of the investigation into the crash.
On Tuesday, the NTSB released the following statement regarding cause of the crash:
“At this early stage of an investigation, NTSB does not state a cause but will provide factual information when available. Investigations involving fatalities, and other major investigations currently take between 12 and 24 months to complete, other investigations take between 12 and 18 months, on average. The preliminary report is expected to publish 15 days after the accident."