FISHER COUNTY, Texas — Two Central Texas men were killed Friday afternoon when the plane they were riding in struck power lines and crashed near Abilene, Texas.
The Texas Department of Public Safety identified the men as 33-year-old Dallas Lee McMahon of Austin and 38-year-old Jay "Bob" Robert Leibson of Burnet, Texas.
The two men took off in a Cessna 172 from Spicewood Airport near Lake Travis Friday morning for an aerial photography mission, NTSB public affairs officer Peter Knudson told KVUE.
The pair made a stop in Midland before attempting to fly back to Spicewood Friday afternoon, according to Knudson.
During their returning flight, the plane struck power lines about 100 feet off the ground from a canyon in Fisher County before crashing onto the side of a steep hill and landing on a private ranch, he said.
It took authorities on an all-terrain vehicle nearly two hours to reach the site in a rugged area, Fisher County Sheriff Alan Arnwine said. The two men died at the scene.
An NTSB investigator has completed his on-scene work, and a preliminary report about the crash could be available as soon as next week, Knudson said.
Aero Photo, an aerial photography company based in Florida, lists McMahon and Leibson as employees on its website. McMahon was a photographer, and Leibson was a pilot, according to the site. The company has a location at Spicewood Airport.
"They both loved their job. And to them, it wasn't a job. It was something that they both loved. They passed away doing what they both enjoyed doing," Leibson's father, Mark, told KVUE.
Leibson leaves behind his wife and 10-year-old daughter. McMahon is survived by his sister and mother.
Leibson worked for Aero Photo for at least five years, according to his father. McMahon's Facebook showed he started working for the company in 2017.