Two volunteers with the Hawaii Wing of the Civil Air Patrol were killed when their plane crashed Sunday afternoon a few thousand feet below the Kalalau Lookout on Kauai during a training exercise.

The pilots, James Degnan, 76, of Princeville, and David Parker, 78, of Kapaa, died when their single-engine Cessna 172 Skyhawk went down at 3:45 p.m., about 75 minutes after taking off on a routine, monthly tsunami warning training flight, according to a Kauai County news release and the National Transportation Safety Board.

Kauai police and firefighters recovered their bodies at about 10 a.m. Monday in mountainous terrain 13 miles north of Kekaha.

The scene and investigation of the crash have been turned over to the NTSB and Federal Aviation Administration.

“We are deeply saddened by the news of this terrible incident, and extend our heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of these pilots who were well known in our tight-knit community,” said Mayor Derek Kawakami in a news release. “The Civil Air Patrol has always been there to help our community during disasters and emergencies. We thank our first responders for working urgently and doing everything they could to bring a sense of closure for those touched by this tragedy. Our thoughts and prayers will continue to be with you all.”

Sunday’s crash was the second fatal aviation incident on Kauai in less than a month.

On Feb. 22 a Sikorsky S-61 N helicopter was approaching a drop-off site as part of a training mission when the aircraft crashed, killing all four civilian employees on board, according to a preliminary report released by the National Transportation Safety Board.

At about 3:15 p.m. Sunday, police and firefighters were dispatched to the Kalalau Lookout in Kokee after reports that a plane went down nearby.

Firefighters from the Waimea station report that multiple witnesses said they saw an airplane flying low in the area before hearing a crash, according to a Kauai County news release. A search by air was performed from a helicopter while firefighters interviewed hikers and witnesses to help narrow the search area between the Kalalau and Puu o Kila lookouts in Kokee, according to the county.

The rescue personnel aboard the helicopter spotted the crash site a few thousand feet below the Kalalau Lookout, but “dangerous weather conditions and low visibility” ended recovery efforts Sunday night.

At daybreak, police officers, firefighters, state Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement officers and DLNR Division of State Parks workers made their way to the crash site, according to Kauai County.

They found Degnan and Parker at about 10 a.m.

“We extend our sincere condolences to the loved ones of James and David, and our partners over at the Civil Air Patrol, whom we work with closely,” said Kauai Police Department’s Investigative Services Bureau Assistant Chief Bryson Ponce in a news release. “These individuals were seasoned pilots who were part of our Kauai community, and we know they will be missed deeply.”

The U.S. Air Force Auxiliary Civil Air Patrol was founded on Dec. 1, 1941, to mobilize the nation’s civilian aviation resources for national defense service, according to the organization’s website. The Hawaii Wing flies training missions year-round, Wing Commander Chantal Lonergan told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser while rescue efforts were ongoing Monday.

“Our volunteers are highly dedicated and committed to serving the community,” said Lonergan. “We are aligning our hearts with the family members and hoping for the best.”

The Hawaii Wing works with county and state first responders to conduct tsunami, hurricane and tropical storm warning missions over the coastal areas and rainforests; aerial damage and disaster assessment flights; search and rescue; and USGS Hawaiian Volcanoes Observatory overflight of lava flow zones.

“For the past 50 years, CAP has been part of Hawaii’s tsunami early warning system. We have 10 aircraft equipped with speaker systems that fly predetermined flight plans to warn coastal residents to move to high ground. The training mission occurs monthly,” Randy Bolinger, chief of marketing and strategic communications with the Civil Air Patrol, told the Star-Advertiser.