A total of six persons died in a plane crash on Monday. Three of the victims were aboard a twin-engine jet piloted by Michael J. Rosenberg, founder and CEO of Health Decisions, and the other three were occupants of the house in Montgomery County, which the aircraft hit.

The ill-fated plane is owned by Sage Aviation in Chapel Hill, one of Rosenberg's companies.

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While authorities didn't identify yet those aboard the jet, Rosenberg's ex-wife, Ellen Ruina, confirmed it was he who flew the plane that crashed into three houses while the jet was nearing Montgomery County Airpark.

The plane gashed the roof of one house, its fuselage hit a second unit and the third house burst into flames after the plane's wings detached and fell on it, Charlotte Observer quotes Steve Lohr, chief of the Montgomery County Fire Department.

The house that burned had inside 36-year-old Marie Gemmel, 1-month-old Devon and 3-month-old Cole. Fire fighters found their charred remains huddled on the second floor.

"She tried to save these kids. She had nowhere to go," Police Chief Thomas Manger described to Washington Post what firefighters saw. "She couldn't get out of the bathroom. One kid was between her legs, and the other was in her arms."

Ruina said that Rosenberg's trip was a short one to Washington to have dinner with their son Zach. He was supposed to return on late Monday night or early Tuesday morning to Chapel Hill. Ruina added that the two passengers could be a Health Decisions officer and a contractor.

She disclosed that her ex-husband had been flying small and big planes since 1975 and to as far as France in 2013. In March 2010, Rosenberg crashed at the Montgomery County Airpark while attempting to land a turbo prop jet, but he lost control and landed on trees.

A friend of Rosenberg said that the latter had hinted to him that he wants to quit flying, but the friend doubted he would do that because he knew of the executive's passion for aviation.

TagsMaryland crash, Gaithersburg, Michael Rosenberg, Marie Gemmel