Rabbi Dr. Aaron Panken, 53, was flying the plane when it went down in Orange County shortly after taking off in Middletown on Saturday.
Panken was the president of the Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion, where students and officials were stunned by his death.
A passenger on board survived the crash.
It is unclear what caused the plane to crash. The Federal Aviation Administration is now investigating.
A spokeswoman for the seminary said Panken was a skilled pilot and was on a routine flight.
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