REVEALED: Hero flight instructor's desperate cockpit fight for control as Jordanian flying student - who was being pressured into being a pilot by his family - crashed plane killing himself and injuring three others

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A flying instructor desperately fought for the controls of a plane moments before his student pilot 'deliberately crashed into a Connecticut street', sources say.  

Trainee pilot Feras M. Freitekh and his instructor Arian Prevalla had been arguing during the flight on Tuesday afternoon after the student said he no longer wanted to fly the plane, a source told the Hartford Courant.

Prevella had desperately tried to regain control of the Piper PA 34A - which has two sets of controls - when Freitekh suddenly began flying erratically. But the experienced pilot was not able to stop their descent and the plane crashed on Tuesday. 

Jordanian national Freitekh, 28, was killed in the crash while Prevalla was rushed to hospital with serious burns. Two people in a minivan close to the landing site were also hospitalized..

Despite his injuries, Prevalla, 43, of Meriden, Connecticut, was able to tell the authorities that his student pilot had deliberately downed the plane and a federal investigation has now begun.   

East Hartford police Chief Scott Sansom added that the FBI would also be investigating as the crash had occurred suspiciously close to defense contractor Pratt & Whitney's headquarters, which he described as 'critical infrastructure.' 

However, so far investigators have been unable to discover any obvious links between Freitekh and terrorist organisations.

The crash appeared to have been a suicide attempt by the student, and terrorism was ruled out, the official, who wasn't authorized to speak publicly, told The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity 

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The FBI is investigating claims Jordanian student pilot Feras M. Freitekh intentionally crashed a light aircraft, killing himself and injuring three others

Freitekh (pictured asleep) came to the U.S. from Jordan in 2012 to go to flight school. He later attended a language school in Toledo, Ohio

Freitekh, 28, (pictured) a Jordanian national, was killed in the crash yesterday afternoon

The FBI is investigating if a Connecticut fiery plane crash which killed one and injured three others was intentional

'It will be a lengthy investigation for the next few days,' Sansom said, noting that it was too early to tell what caused the plane to crash. 

Freitekh, originally from Jordan, was listed as living in Orlando Hills, Illinois, before moving to Ritz Grande Apartments in Hartford, Connectibut to learn to fly. 

When the authorities searched his apartment after the crash they found three other foreign nationals living with him - all also studying for their pilots' licenses. The trio were interviewed by the authorities but have been released without charge.

Police found no evidence of terrorist activities when they initially searched his Connecticut apartment but investigators say the search is continuing. His social media pages also appear devoid of any strong political leanings or terrorist sympathies. 

But an official close to the investigation, told CNN that Freitekh had been frustrated with his family and felt as though he was being forced to become a pilot.

Prevalla told authorities that he and the trainee had been arguing inside the aircraft - which has two sets of controls - just before it plowed into the street.

The father-of-four, who was left badly burned and is now recovering the Bridgeport Hospital burn unit, said he had battled for control of the plane but couldn't stop the crash.

There were no video or audio recorders aboard the plane, meaning there is no other evidence, but authorities say the believe the instructor's account that his student pilot intentionally crashed the plane. 

Today, family of Pravella, who taught at Hartford Jet Center, hailed him a 'hero' today for preventing mass casualties.

His cousin Blerim Prevalla told DailyMail.com: 'If this other guy was a terrorist he would want to find a better target than a highway. He could have flown into a bus or a school but my cousin did a great job to stop him. In our eyes he's a hero.' 

He added that Prevella would have been helpless if his student decided to crash the plane.

'These planes they use have dual controls so if the other guy wants to bring it down there's not a lot he can do. 

'They haven't told us anything about the guy but they need to look into his background,' he added.

Blerim, 49, said that both he and Arian came to the US from Macedonia two decades ago but consider themselves Albanians. 

His student Freitekh was also an immigrant, moving to the United States around four years ago as an international student. And he appeared to have been settling into American life well. Just last year he posted a status on Facebook saying he loved the country; with a heart emoji next to the word U.S.A. 

Freitekh came to the U.S. from Jordan in 2012 on an international student M-1 visa to go to flight school. He later attended a language school in Toledo, Ohio on an F-1 student visa before returning to an M-1, a temporary visa for vocational schools, so he could study at the Connecticut Flight Academy in Hartford.  

The Piper PA 34 was being flown by Feras M. Freitekh and his instructor, Arian Prevalla (pictured)  when it crashed

Sources say Revalla (pictured meeting former president Bill Clinton) and his student had been arguing before the crash

The pilot (right) was baldy burned in the crash but was still able to tell investigators his student had deliberately crashed

Federal Aviation Administration records show he was issued a private pilot certificate on May 29, 2015, and was certified to fly a single-engine plane. 

On the day of the crash, he had been flying under the instruction of Flight Academy president, and instructor Arian Prevalla.

A fellow pilot trainee, and friend of Freitekh, told the DailyMail.com that he was a 'delightful individual, very joyful, helpful.'

Kenatha Abernaty, who attended the flight school with him, refused to believe his friend was capable of causing the fiery crash. 

'I don't really believe the accusations because I flew with him a couple times and he didn't seem capable,' he told us, adding that he was generally liked by students and staff alike - including Prevella.

'He seemed to have a good relationship with Mr. Prevalla. The staff seemed to like him,' he said, adding that Freitekh was generally a private person who would keep his private life to himself.  

Yet other friends and family on Facebook appeared to accept the claims Freitekh had deliberately down the small aircraft. 

Several people had posted on Facebook that they 'forgave' him after the crash.

'God have mercy on you captain and forgive you my brother,' wrote Abu Taj, over a picture of Feitekh kissing the a plane. Saifeddin M. AlHussein added: 'May God have mercy on him and forgive him.'  

The state's counter-terrorism unit have joined the FBI, State Police Central District Crime Squad and Fire and Explosion Investigations Unit in the multi agency investigation.  

One of the plane's occupants was killed in the fiery crash. The other was hospitalized, as were two people in a minivan close to where the aircraft hit (pictured are firefighters extinguishing the blaze after the crash yesterday)

The FBI is now investigating whether the crash near aerospace manufacturer and defense contractor Pratt & Whitney's headquarters was intentional (the smoldering wreckage is pictured yesterday) 

A woman who was on the street was taken away on a stretcher after the  plane crash on Main Street in East Hartford on Tuesday

The Piper PA 34 was being piloted by a student pilot and instructor when it crashed on Main Street in East Hartford at around 3.45pm on Tuesday, resulting in what one witness described as a 'mushroom cloud explosion

The remains of a small plane are seen along Main St, Wednesday, in East Hartford

The National Transportation Safety Board's probe indicated it was an 'intentional' and 'criminal' act so have passed the lead to the FBI.

'Nothing is being ruled out at this time, including an accident,' said Lt. Joshua Litwin of the East Hartford Police Department, who spoke at a press conference at the scene on Wednesday morning, confirming the F.B.I. was leading the inquiry. 

'Although you can see the investigation is extremely active, it is still in its infancy.

East Hartford Mayor Marcia Leclerc 'It's troubling,' Leclerc said. 'But I also know that stories change and information can be skewed. We're waiting for the facts to come out.'

The plane had taken off from Brainard Airport in Hartford, according to Mayor Marcia Leclerc, and crashed near the intersection of Main Street and Colt Street, just under half a mile away.

According to the FAA, the plane was on final approach to Runway 20 at Hartford-Brainard Airport.  

The aircraft struck a utility pole and wires as it came down, bursting into a 'mushroom cloud explosion' and causing 520 power outages, according to Fox61. 

The instructing pilot, who is awake in hospital and speaking with police but has not been named, said that his student Freitekh had crashed the plane on purpose, law enforcement sources told the Times. 

'As far as the occupants of the plane, he is expected to survive. He is cooperating with investigators he's actually speaking with detectives as part of this investigation as ongoing,' said East Hartford Police Lt. Josh Litwin, the Courant reports.  

Several friends and relatives of Freitekh posted on Facebook that they 'forgave' him after the crash

Yet last year, the pilot had written a status on his Facebook page saying how much he loved America

The FBI investigate Freitekh's at Ritz Grande Apartments, on Wednesday, in connection with the plane crash

A source said three other foreign nationalists, also getting pilot's licenses, lived with Feras Freitekh at the apartment

State and federal investigators were still at the scene on Wednesday morning although there were no signs up stepped up security, according to the Times. Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board will join them today.   

'This is a very complex situation with a lot of different agencies and a lot of different moving parts,' fire Chief John Oates said.

The cause for the crash has not yet been determined, and the investigation is expected to take several days to complete. 

A Pratt & Whitney spokesman said that the crash was unconnected to the business or its employees or contractors but added that 'our thoughts are with the people affected.'

'It does not appear at this time that any Pratt & Whitney employees or contractors were involved. Additionally, there is no impact to our operation here in East Hartford other than restricted traffic flow to the facility's main entrance on Main Street. We stand ready to assist local officials as needed.'  

Erick Zapata, who was eating at a Subway near the crash, told the Courtant that 'out of nowhere a plane crashed into the pole.

'Pieces started flying everywhere...' he said. 'I was nervous, I was shaking. It was crazy. I've never seen anything like it.' 

Another witness told the paper that the plane 'went down, then it disintegrated. It was gone.' 

Gregory Bell saw the plane flying unusually low as he drove home from work. 'I saw the plane going low,' he said. 'It was too low.' 

Moments later he heard the crash.  

Wreckage: One of the two people in the plane was killed; the other was hospitalized but is said to be conscious. Two others on the ground were taken to hospital uninjured but 'traumatized'

The FBI is now investigating whether the crash near aerospace manufacturer and defense contractor Pratt & Whitney's headquarters was intentional (an investigator photographs the scene) 

State and federal investigators were still at the scene on Wednesday morning

Two people in a minivan close to where the plane came down were also taken to hospital. They were described as being uninjured but 'a little bit traumatized' by Leclerc.

Prevalla was taken to the nearby burns unit in a serious condition. The pilot came to US twenty years ago with is family and ran a business with his cousin Blerim before setting up the flight school.

'He's a great family man, a great businessman. He's got everything to live for so the idea that he could have wanted to down that plane is ridiculous,' his cousin Blerim said.

'My cousin is a great pilot, he's flown all over the US and Europe. 'He's been flying for 11, 12 years he's never had an accident. He trains people every day of the year, weather permitting.  

'But he's cool under pressure and I'm confident he would have done everything in his power to stop it.' 

Blerim, a dad-of-three and real estate developer from Berlin Connecticut, said his cousin also owned a pizza restaurant and has two young boys, a little girl and a toddler girl. 

He said none of the family has been allowed to talk to Arian, aside from his wife Erzana, 38, who is at his hospital bedside. 'We don't know too much because the FBI are investigating. Nobody has been able to talk to him apart from his wife. 'He's got burns but it's not life threatening.The family is just really happy he's OK.'

The FBI and FAA are conducting the investigation with the National Transportation Safety Board, the Flight Standards District Office and the Connecticut Airport Authority. 

One crash survivor told investigators that the crash was not an accident, a source close to the investigation said 

 According to the FAA, the plane was on final approach to Runway 20 at Hartford-Brainard Airport when it struck a utility pole (fire crews at the scene yesterday) 

The light aircraft came down on an East Hartford street Tuesday, hitting a utility pole and causing a large explosion along with 520 power outages