For the first time, we're hearing from the pilot whose plane hit and killed a father and daughter on a Venice Beach as well as from close family friends of the victims.



Both are in mourning and devastated by what happened.

"The reality really hasn't set in," said Sgt. Jose Bocanegra as he Skyped with Bay News 9 from his home in Hawaii.



He said he’s not only lost a fellow soldier but also a friend.

He and Sgt. First Class Ommy Irizarry shared a special bond, he said, one like no other.

"One of the greatest guys possibly you'd ever meet,” said Sgt. Bocanegra. “He was willing to help anybody and anyone with anything."



Irizarry, the devoted husband and father, was killed Saturday as he walked along a Venice beach with his daughter, Oceana, 9, who died at All Children’s Hospital on Tuesday.



"If you're looking for an example of a father, you have to look at him because everything he did, he did for his kids," said Sgt. Bocanegra.



The two were hit by a plane as it made an emergency landing on the beach after the pilot, Karl Kokomoor, 57, said the engine on his plane went out and they were descending at a rapid rate.



On Tuesday, Kokomoor issued a prepared statement that was read by the family’s pastor as Kokomoor’s wife and daughter stood by his side. Neither said a word.



"I am deeply, deeply sorry," said Kokomoor through the prepared statement as read by Rev. Victor Willis.



He went on to describe Kokomoor’s need to act fast and rather than trying to land at a part of the beach that was heavily populated, he thought he had landed at the beach where there was no one.



"It was only after we landed and exited the plane did I realize that there were people on the beach,” he said. “I never saw them."



He continued, "Once again, I extend to the Irizarry family my deepest condolences. May God grant them strength and his healing love."



"There's going to be a gap in the Irizarry family, there's going to be a gap that no one is going to be able to fulfill, for a very long time," said Sgt. Bocanegra.



It is a heartbreaking story of a father and his daughter now gone and a wife left to grieve.



The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating.



Meantime, the Iziarry family said Ommy and Oceana’s organs will be donated in the hopes they can save lives.

The following statement has been released on behalf of the Irizarry and Power families:



Our precious Oceana has joined her daddy in heaven. She was nine years old.



Oceana was a beautiful, intelligent and kind-hearted little girl. She was a natural artist who loved to learn. She was looking forward to the 4th grade.



Ommy, a Sergeant First Class in the Army, was a beloved husband, father, son, brother, friend and soldier. He lit up the room whenever he entered and was devoted to his family. There are no words to describe the suffering we are experiencing. Their loss is devastating to our family and to everyone who knew them.



Thank you to our many loved ones, friends and strangers for your outpouring of love and prayers. Although they are gone, Ommy and Oceana live on through organ donation.



Forever, they will be in our hearts. To all of those who helped us on the beach and medical personnel, thank you for your efforts to save them. We will always be grateful to All Children's Hospital for your skilled and loving care of Oceana and our family.

- In sorrow, the Irizarry and Power families