A plane crash in New Mexico Tuesday night left two former Volusia County residents and a third Air Force airman dead.

Former residents Capt. Andrew Becker and 1st Lt. Frederick “Drew” Dellecker were killed when the U-28A reconnaissance and surveillance plane they were flying crashed about a quarter mile east of Clovis Municipal Airport in New Mexico. The crash also killed Capt. Kenneth Dalga, 29, from Goldsboro, North Carolina.

The crash drew reactions Friday from elected officials, including Gov. Rick Scott and U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis.

Becker, 33, of Novi, Mich., was a 2007 graduate of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's Daytona Beach campus. Dellecker, 26, was a Seabreeze High graduate and was co-piloting the single-engine plane.

All three airmen served with the 318th Special Operations Squadron at Cannon Air Force Base. Dalga was a combat systems officer, a husband and a father. Becker also was married, a Cannon Air Force Base press release said. Dellecker is survived by his mother and father, Karen and William Dellecker of DeLand.

The crash occurred during a training sortie at 6:50 p.m. in a field near the airport. According to local NBC affiliate KOB, the airport director said the plane was performing "touch-and-go's," a practice maneuver where the aircraft touches the runway but doesn't come to a complete stop and takes off again. The Air Force has not confirmed exactly what the airmen were practicing, according to the Air Force Times.

Officials have only said that the cause of the crash is under investigation and that there was no indication of any problems with the plane before it went down in a field.

The plane crash caused a fire, which officials said was put out by first responders. Investigators later combed the wreckage and are in the process of reviewing everything from documents related to the preparation of the training flight to maintenance records for the plane.

The plane the men were flying, the U-28A, is a manned, fixed-wing plane used for airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance in support of special operations forces, according to an Air Force fact sheet.

The U-28A is considered a reliable aircraft and is flown thousands of hours a year by crew members who fly hundreds of hours annually to maintain their proficiency with the plane and its systems, Col. Ben Maitre, commander of the 27th Special Operations Wing, said in a release.

Flights by the 318th squadron were put on hold following the crash, and base officials said Thursday that they did not know when they would resume.

In his time at ERAU, Becker majored in applied meteorology and served in the school's Air Force 157th ROTC Detachment. A statement from the school said, "It is especially difficult knowing that he came to Embry-Riddle as a committed member of our armed services and served his country with honor. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends and those affected by this terrible accident."

Dellecker, who graduated from the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs in 2013 and is registered as a commercial pilot through his parents' address in DeLand, "died doing what he loved," friend Zach Sutton said.

"Anyone that knew Drew, knew that his lifelong passion was to be in the Air Force. He spent countless hours studying in school just to get into the Air Force Academy (and) got a full ride into it from high school," Sutton said. "While all this is so sad, it's not every day that a young man can serve and die honorably for his country."

Sutton described his friend as loyal and bright.

"Drew was the type of person that could figure out anything. If he couldn’t, he would spend as long as it took to get the task done," Sutton said. "Drew didn't have the word 'no' in his vocabulary."

Lauren Elizabeth, a longtime friend of Dellecker's, said he had a big heart.

"Drew was very studious and such a kind person. I've never heard him say anything negative since the day we met," Elizabeth said. "He had such a bright future ahead of him with the military. ... He was one of the good ones."

Peter Waidelich, assistant chair of Daytona State College's College of Music, Entertainment and Art was Dellecker’s trumpet instructor in high school and called the crash a "tragedy beyond words.”

“He was a very serious musician when he was in high school. I remember there was virtually no lesson he was unprepared for,” Waidelich said. “He never showed up without a smile on his face and not in good spirits. Drew was confident, but not in a cocky way, which is why I was not surprised when he chose to serve in the U.S. Air Force. He always was willing to cheer someone else up if they needed it.”

DeSantis, R-Palm Coast, spoke about Dellecker and Becker on the House floor Friday morning.

"(Becker) was a great student, real world-beater, and he did what many graduates of Riddle do: he served our country with honor and distinction and we're thankful for his service to this country and we send our condolences to his wife," DeSantis said. "(Dellecker) was a special guy who dedicated his life to serving our country and defending our freedoms. The Volusia County community is saddened by his loss and his parents Bill and Karen are in our thoughts and prayers."

Gov. Scott said he plans to order the lowering of flags in honor of the airmen.

"The loss of any brave service members is a heartbreaking tragedy, and we are proud and humbled by 1st Lt. Dellecker's decision to serve our country and defend our freedom as a member of the U.S. Air Force," Scott said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

About the U-28A

The U-28A provides a manned fixed wing plane used for airborne intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance in support of special operations forces. The initial fleet saw action in the military operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS

Crew: 2 pilots, 1 combat systems officer, 1 tactical systems officer

Builder: Pilatus Aircraft

Power plant: Pratt-Whitney PT6A-67B

Thrust: 1,200 horse power

Wingspan: 53 feet 3 inches

Length: 47 feet 3 inches

Height: 14 feet (4.25 meters)

Speed: 253 mph

Range: 1,500 nautical miles

Ceiling: 30,000 feet

Maximum takeoff weight: 10,935 pounds

Deployment date: 2006

Cost: $16.5 million

Inventory: 28

SOURCE: United States Air Force