The bodies of a Skokie grandfather and his three teenage granddaughters who died in a plane crash in upper Michigan were flown to Israel for burial Thursday night.
Moshe Menora, 73, was piloting a plane carrying his three granddaughters and 13-year-old grandson home from a trip to Mackinac Island Tuesday after what was supposed to be a cherished life-long memory for all.
The teenaged grandchildren Rebecca Menora, 16, Rachel Menora, 15, and Sarah Klein, 17, were visiting their grandfather from Israel for the summer. Rachel celebrated her 15th birthday on Sunday.
While their remains make the trip back to the Holy Land, federal investigators shipped the wreckage of the Beech Baron twin engine plane to Wisconsin so investigators can figure out what malfunctioned, reports the Chicago Tribune. The National Transportation Safety Board will reconstruct the plane from the wreckage and analyze interviews with witness who saw the plane go down.
Yossi Menora, the sole survivor of the crash remained in a hospital in critical condition as of late Thursday. The thirteen-year-old was severely burned when he was ejected from his grandfather's twin engine beechcraft as it crashed onto Interstate 75 in St. Ignace, flipped over and burst into flames on Tuesday.
Hundreds of mourners turned out at the family’s orthodox synagogue Or Torha in Skokie Wednesday.
"What the brain won't comprehend, time will solve. And I can't explain why God decided that a plane crash should happen," said Shalom Menora, the son of the pilot and father of two of the girls who died.
Officials with the National Transportation Safety Board told the Tribune their investigation has yet to turn up any major revelations about the crash.
