Pilot's Friend: Everything Was Right on Plane

Mechanic claims proper maintenance on aircraft that crashed in Opa-Locka

A friend of the man killed when his twin engine aircraft went down Monday in Miami-Dade says the pilot took every precaution before flying.

Officials say Harry Trauffer, 64, died after his Beechcraft E-18 plane crashed into a residential neighborhood shortly after taking off from Opa-Locka Airport around 8 a.m.

The vintage plane used mostly to carry cargo took out a car and a van before it went up in flames next to a home on Northwest 37th Ct.

While the cause of the crash is still under investigation, a mechanic who says he used to work on the plane claimed Monday that Trauffer didn't properly maintain the aircraft.

But a friend of Trauffer's, George Bayrami, said his pilot buddy was very careful.

"I said 'Harry, if something's not right, I'm not gonna take it' and he said 'Of course not.' You don't take the plane," Bayrami said. "If you don't feel like flying, if you don't feel like taking the flight, you don't have to, so there was never any pressure."

Bayrami said Trauffer made certain the plane was kept in good condition.

"Everything had to be right and then you do the flight, but everything was always right anyway," he said.

Officials say it may take a year before the exact cause of the crash is known.

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