TAFTON, Pa. (AP) – A Florida man was piloting a small plane that crashed near a Poconos housing development over the weekend, killing him, his father and sister, officials said.

Walter M. Daggett, 50, of Miami, died in the crash, along with Karla Daggett, 52, of Limerick, Maine, and Milton Daggett, 76, of Camden, Maine, Pike County Coroner Kevin Stroyan said.

The family was flying from back to Maine from a relative’s wedding in Greensboro, N.C., when the plane crashed just before 1 p.m. Sunday in a wooded area near Lake Wallenpaupack. Witnesses said the plane fell at a 90-degree angle, landing about 100 feet from the nearest homes.

Friends and family said the Daggetts loved to fly and that the father, Milton Daggett, was a retired commercial airline pilot.

Walter Daggett had years of flying experience, but was flying a twin-engine, six-seat Piper Seneca III that was new to him. He had registered the plane on May 23, according to Federal Aviation Administration records.

The National Transportation Safety Board was investigating.

The family had flown to Greensboro on Thursday to attend the Saturday wedding of one of Milton Daggett’s sons, according to a relative.

Karla Daggett had worked for several years as fiscal director of York County Shelter Programs Inc., a nonprofit agency that assists homeless people in Maine.

“Karla was a wonderful lady, and we are very sorry to hear this news,” said Wes Phinney, the agency’s deputy director “She was known by everyone. She was always active and involved in everything we did.”

Walter Daggett, who owned a construction company, loved fishing, diving and flying, said his friend Ellen Marks, of Miami.

“Walter was extremely conscientious,” Marks said. “He knew everything you could imagine about planes. He’s taken every kind of course, and he’s always updating his planes with the newest technology.”

The crash took place three days after a Cessna 172 went down on a rugged mountainside near western Maine’s Sunday River ski area, killing the pilot and three Lewiston High School students in the Air Force Junior ROTC program who were on an introductory flight lesson.

About 1,800 small planes crash every year nationwide, NTSB spokesman Paul Schlamm said.