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PENSACOLA -- Federal Aviation Administration officials said it could take months before they determine the cause of a small-plane crash that killed two men, including a lawyer who defended one of two adolescent brothers who murdered their father with an aluminum baseball bat.

Investigators will examine the aircraft for mechanical problems, check for signs of pilot error and consider the weather before the crash that killed attorney James Stokes and John Johnson, a Pensacola businessman, FAA spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said Friday.

The men's two-seat plane crashed Wednesday near Elsanor, Ala. Neither man was a licensed pilot, but Rick Gordon, who owns the hangar where the two-seat plane was kept, said both men were excellent fliers. Stokes flew helicopters in the Marines, he said.

Bergen said the investigation's first step is to identify whether the plane was an ultralight or an experimental aircraft, a more sophisticated type of lightweight plane.

Ultralight owners must apply for an exemption to have more than one seat, with the extra ones used only for instruction flights, Bergen said.

Stokes, 47, represented Alex King, 13, who was convicted with his brother, Derek, of killing their father.

Alex and Derek King's mother, Kelly Marino of Lexington, Ky., said Stokes was a kind but stern man who cared about Alex.

"Mr. Stokes, you were truly a beacon of light in my son's life. You and your generosity will never be forgotten," she wrote in a statement.

Stokes also represented Daniel Carter, 16, who is charged in the fatal stabbing of his uncle. Carter's July 14 trial will be postponed until a new defense attorney is selected, Assistant State Attorney David Rimmer said.

Johnson, 50, was a businessman and a builder who owned Pop's Attic Storage and Southern Improvement of Pensacola.