The FAA is trying to figure out what caused a helicopter crash that killed five people Wednesday in New Mexico.
The victims include two men from Houston who have deep roots in the city.
We know a private jet left Houston and landed in Raton, New Mexico. From there the six people on board got onto a helicopter to fly to a private ranch, but the chopper went down.
"It's all started to sink in, now that's been about half a day," said Curtis Alberts, General Manager of the Boyert Shooting Center on Westheimer.
There were six people on board the Huey-1 Wednesday. Among them was Houston businessman Charles Burnett III, 67.
Other passengers included former Pasadena Police Chief Paul Cobb, 67, who was a longtime friend of Burnett. According to the Pasadena Police Department, Cobb was a Pasadena PD police chief in the early 2000s. He retired from the Pasadena Police Department in 2004.
J.C. Dodd, 57, Burnett's pilot, was also killed, along with Zimbabwe Opposition Leader Roy Bennett, 60, and his wife, who were also Burnett's friends. The only survivor was Burnett's longtime girlfriend and Cobb's daughter, Andra Cobb, 39 .
"We've heard things, we've heard conflicting things...This or that. It will come out, but obviously you want to know," Alberts said.
At the Boyert Shooting Center in Houston, which Burnett owned, there are still many questions.
"He was really the one that helped us get this off the ground, that believed in the vision...and just very passionate about responsible gun ownership," Alberts said.
Burnett was a boss, they say, who never wanted the attention. In fact, he donated a Cobra to the Vietnam War Flight Museum in honor of Cobb, which is currently on loan at the Lone Star Flight Museum at Ellington Airport. He was shot down in Vietnam and earned the Purple Heart.
"If you were faced with trying to select someone to be your best friend, he would be the person you would choose," said Bud Corbett, Cobb's longtime friend who spoke to KHOU 11 News on the phone.
All were friends who left on a trip together they never imagined would be their last.
"What Charles is done for a number of different groups, what Paul has done for the police community and for us this past year, they will definitely have a lasting impact for sure," Alberts said.
Cobb's widow told KHOU their daughter is recovering and on her way back to Houston.