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Read the press release here.

Pilot Killed in Breezy Point Plane Crash Was Businessman and Navy Captain

By Katie Honan | November 6, 2015 3:42pm
 Brad McGee, 57, was flying from Philadelphia to New Hampshire, officials said. 
Brad McGee, 57, was flying from Philadelphia to New Hampshire, officials said. 
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Dnainfo/iCrowd.com

QUEENS — The pilot killed after crashing his propeller plane into the ocean off of Breezy Point Wednesday night was an accomplished businessman as well as a loyal friend and colleague, his business partner said Friday. 

James Bradford McGee, known as Brad, was flying his 26-foot Cirrus SR22 propeller plane from Philadelphia to New Hampshire on Nov. 4 when it crashed into the ocean at around 9:30 p.m., officials said. His body was found hours later by NYPD divers. 

The 57-year-old man lived in Maine and was an accomplished athlete and great friend, according to friend and business partner John Callaghan, who grew up with McGee and later founded two companies with him, iCrowd and New Rye Securities, LLC.

"I always enjoyed his camaraderie, his wit, and his counsel," he wrote in a statement. "In losing Brad, I lose a best friend and a great business partner.”

McGee was a graduate of the U.S Naval Academy, the Navy Nuclear Power School and Harvard Business School, working as a nuclear engineer in the Navy and as a captain in the U.S. Naval Reserve for 17 years, Callaghan said. 

He was married and lived in Maine, and ran marathons and competed in Ironman competitions. His favorite running partner, his friend said, was his Welsh Terrier, Casey. 

“Everyone who knew Brad will miss his warmth, integrity, and intelligence,” Callaghan added.

The NTSB is currently investigating the cause of the crash, examining the recovered plane at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn.

"Overall we will be looking at the man, the machine and the environment in this investigation," Heidi Moats, an air safety investigator with the NTSB, said Thursday at a press conference at Riis Landing in Queens.