A former Braves minor league player and his father were identified Wednesday as the victims who died in a mid-air plane crash in South Carolina on Tuesday.
Joseph Johnson was riding in his two-seater Cessna plane with father, Michael Johnson, when it collided with an Air Force F-16 fighter jet at 11:06 a.m. about 11 miles north of Charleston. Both Joseph, 30, and Michael Johnson, 68, were killed in the crash, but the jet's pilot, Maj. Aaron Johnson — who is not related to the victims — managed to eject before the two aircraft hit each other.
Joseph Johnson, a pitcher, was drafted into the Braves system in 2006 out of Louisburg College in North Carolina. He played for the Class A Rome Braves in 2007.
His family told ABC News that he flew daily and was meticulous about the condition of his plane since he was training to become a pilot for Delta, where his father worked part-time.
Authorities found Michael Johnson's body in the Cooper River near the crash site in Moncks Corner, but are still searching for the remains of Joseph Johnson. National Transportation Safety Board investigators will work in the coming months to determine what caused the crash.
Related: Read more about Joseph Johnson and Michael Johnson at The Post and Courier
About the Author
