A federal investigator was on the scene Thursday morning where the World War II-era plane went down. The Kern County Coroner's office ruled Thursday evening the cause of death for both victims was "multiple blunt force injuries."

Pilot Alfred Goss, of Bakersfield, is seen in this photo taken from his Facebook page.

Steven Ballard, 54, and Al Goss, 68, died in the crash south of Highway 58 and east of I-5 Wednesday morning.

"It's hard to even think about it being real," friend David Hallmark said in his hanger at Massey Aircraft Service at Minter Field. The two pilots had taken off from Minter the morning before. Within 30 minutes, the wreckage of the vintage aircraft was spread across a field, part of the plane nosed into an irrigation canal.

"The aircraft hit in somewhat of a slightly nose-down attitude, maybe just a little bit of a left wing down attitude," National Transportation Safety Board inspector Tom Little told Eyewitness News. He had been sent down to start the investigation for the NTSB. Two Federal Aviation Administration inspectors had been on the site Wednesday afternoon.

Steven Ballard is seen in this provided photo.

Little said everything will be checked over.

"We focus on the weather, the pilot -- or pilots, in this case -- and the airplane," he said.

Friends at Minter Field said the weather seemed perfect before the crash, and Little agreed.

"The weather yesterday didn't seem to be a factor, it was a beautiful day," Little said. But, even that will not be ruled out. "It doesn't mean that we're not going to look at it further," he added.

The aircraft was an AT-6 "Texan." That's an "advanced training" aircraft, and friends said Goss had it for years. He raced it over the years in Reno, NV.

"The airplane was here at (Minter) Field," Hallmark said. "It was maintained very well, like a working airplane because he did go to Reno, and it's a safety factor being around a crowd like that."

Friends also said the plane has been restored.

"There's always rebuilt motors that they rebuild them to new specs," Hallmark said.

Hallmark also noted maintenance on aircraft is documented, there will be records about this plane.

While blunt force trauma was ruled as the cause of death, friends note this plane -- as a trainer -- has two sets of controls. Either could have taken control if the other man had a medical emergency, and both men had been pilots for years.

"You don't get more experience than the two of them," Hallmark said. "And probably (had) been in all different types of scenarios, as far as emergencies. I don't think pilot error was a factor at all."

The NTSB investigator said he would look at conditions at the scene and the debris there. The wreckage would then probably be moved by Friday, taken to a secure location, where an even more detailed examination would be done. It's too early to say what caused the crash.

"At this point, again, it's so preliminary we just don't want to speculate on anything yet," Little said.

But friends said they have so many questions. Hallmark said it's haunting to think of how this could happen to a pilot with as much experience as Goss had -- racing planes and working as a crop-duster for many years.

"He spends most of his life flying under wires, and right next to the ground, and around crowds, and around pylons," Hallmark said. "And you go out for a 30-minute flight -- a fun flight on an afternoon -- and unfortunately, these things happen."

NTSB investigator Tom Little said this probe could take six to nine months to complete.

Hallmark said loved ones need answers from that investigation.

"It obviously won't bring them back, but as a pilot and friend, it's you want to know. You want to know."