GALVESTON, Texas, Oct. 24 (UPI) -- A World War II-era plane crashed near Galveston, Texas, killing the pilot and a British tourist, officials said.
The vintage plane, a P51 Mustang, departed from the Scholes International Airport shortly before crashing into Halls Lake, near Chocolate Bay, Wednesday morning, KHOU-TV, Houston, reported.
The cause of the crash has not yet been determined.
Coast Guard crews recovered the victims' bodies Wednesday afternoon. The victims were identified as Keith Hibbett, 51, of Denton and John Stephen Busby, 66, of the United Kingdom, who was visiting the area with his wife for their 41st wedding anniversary.
Busby paid nearly $2,000 to ride on the plane, KHOU said.
"This is by far one of the most difficult things I've ever gone through. Our pilot was like a brother to me," said Larry Gregory with the Lone Star Flight Museum, which owned the plane. "He's taught me a lot about flying and everything else. And it's just devastating."
