CBS 2 Chief Meteorologist Roland Steadham was among two men who died in a plane crash Tuesday morning on the Payette River in Gem County's Black Canyon.The Gem County Sheriff's Office says the small plane clipped a power line be fore crashing into the icy Payette River just before 11 a.m.Online flight data shows the plane took off from the Emmett Airport at 10:43 a.m. before losing contact just 12 minutes later.Steadham, the longtime chief meteorologist at CBS 2 in Boise, had visited students at Payette River Regional Technical Academy's (PR2TA) aviation class in Emmett just last week, sharing his passion for aviation with the next generation of pilots. WATCH: PR2TA shares the impact Steadham had on their students CBS 2 Chief Meteorologist visited PR2TA students days before fatal Payette River plane crash"The last thing he said before leaving class was, 'I've enjoyed years of flying it's been so good to me and I'd really encourage you guys to pursue aviation," said Jim Baker, who teaches the aviation class for PR2TA and hosted Steadham in his classroom. "To be up in the air and seeing the world from a different perspective is what it's all about, and that was the last words he said to our class."Baker said learning of the crash was devastating for both him and his students.RELATED | Plane crashes into Payette River east of Emmett, killing two male passengers"We had this person (Steadham) in our classroom and sharing concepts about aviation like he's done many times before and in this case he was talking about the inversion and what was going to make it go away so we were getting a lesson on weather for our aviation class with PR2TA," Baker said. "To hear that this happened today was beyond tragic."During his classroom visit, Steadham explained weather concepts in terms students could understand, teaching them about air pressure systems and how the inversion phenomenon affects flying conditions in the Emmett area."It's something we teach about in the classroom, you know, incidents happening, but then when it happens right in your backyard with somebody you might know that hits even harder, and my heart goes out to the family," Baker said.Baker learned of the crash from a student while teaching Tuesday morning and said the tight-knit aviation community in Emmett quickly began checking on pilots who had taken off that morning but hadn't returned."Emmett being a small community with the aviation community, pilots were checking with other pilots and confirming who was up in the air, and when we had heard that they had left this morning and didn't return, we were fearful that we might know the people involved in this case," Baker said.Steadham was an avid pilot with more than 3,000 flight hours and spent 35 years in meteorology. He leaves behind his wife and six daughters.Baker believes Steadham was doing what he loves in the sky before the crash occurred."I'd like to think that he was out there just gathering that great footage for his weather reports and sharing it with all of us like he was so good at doing," Baker said. "And something went wrong, and we have yet to see what that was."The FAA and NTSB are investigating the crash. Baker went to check out the incident multiple times throughout Tuesday and said investigators found GoPro cameras that may have been recording during the flight, which could help determine what caused the accident."I had a sense that there was a couple of GoPros on there because I've followed his YouTube channel before and I've seen the footage on the outside of the wing and also inside the cockpit," Baker said. "Just crossing my fingers that the GoPro was running at the time that they, you know... that there's footage. So maybe they can put it all together, and we'll know why."For the aviation students who met Steadham just days ago, his final classroom visit serves as a lasting lesson in passion and perspective."They're tied in with the students. They're tied in with the PR2TA school, and that's why it's close to my heart. That's why it means a lot to me because I got to know some of the pilots, like him, and we're going to miss him," Baker said."The best encouragement we can tell students is it's all about learning and hoping the same thing doesn't happen," Baker said. "We have those organizations, you know, with the FAA to determine what happens in situations like this and how to keep them from happening again."The crash in Gem County remains under investigation. Authorities have not yet identified the second man who died in the crash. ...read more read less