Captain Joseph Zuffoletto was 27-years-old. He grew up in the South Bay in his parent's Bonita home.
Jim and Roselle Zuffoletto talked about their son and his love for flying at an early age. At 16-years-old, Joseph began taking flying lessons at Montgomery Field.
"By the time he was 17, he had his pilot's license, he wanted to fly and that's all he wanted to do," Roselle said.
When the couple found out their son had been killed in the plane crash outside Buffalo, New York , they were in disbelief.
"We just sobbed, we couldn't believe it, we thought there had to be some big mistake," Roselle said. The plane had crashed outside in a small community called Clarence Center. It is also the same community where Joseph has family members.
"So, we were doubly concerned because we didn't know how close the plane crash was to our family's home," Roselle said.
Thankfully, it wasn't their home.
Jim and Roselle are flying to New York on Saturday to visit the crash site.
"He knew the risks of flying and he knew what he was getting into," Jim said. "He was living his dream."
