Ara Zobayan, the pilot, had held a commercial license since 2007, and was qualified to fly in bad weather conditions known as instrument flight rules, according to FAA records. He was also qualified to teach people to fly in those conditions, indicating that he had significant experience. Friends described him as experienced in social media posts after his death. Nevertheless, Jeff Guzzetti, a former crash investigator for the Federal Aviation Administration, said the weather could have been a factor in the crash and pointed to numerous incidents where pilots have been caught off guard.