The single-engine plane crashed behind a home about 8:45 a.m. Thursday on Larke Road, south of Williamsburg, about 1.5 miles from the intersection of Clover Creek Road. Blair County Coroner Patricia Ross said the two men aboard the plane were killed on impact.

Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said the plane was a Cirrus SR22. The FAA will investigate, and the National Transportation Safety board will determine the probable cause of the crash, she added.

Ross said Thursday that one of the men — who were both described as in their 50s and from out of the area — had been identified but the identity of the second man was pending.

Once investigators have identified the second person, his family will be notified and the names of the men would be released, Ross said.

Mirror photo by Greg Bock A firefighter looks over the scene of a small plane crash in Woodbury Township on Thursday. The plane crashed into the backyard of a home along Larke Road. A piece of the wing can be seen in the bush at right.

Tracy A. Plessinger, manager of the Altoona-Blair County Airport, referred any questions to the Johnstown Air Traffic Control Center, but did provide a statement addressing the crash.

“The Blair County Airport Authority Board of Directors extends its deepest sympathies and condolences to the families of the victims of today’s plane crash in Blair County. We commend the Air Traffic Control and Blair County Emergency Response Personnel for their calm, quick and professional response to this tragedy.”

A message left for a Johnstown air traffic control official late Thursday morning was not returned by evening.

According to a FlightAware website, the Cirrus SR22 was scheduled to fly at 7:34 a.m. from Lancaster Airport to South Bend International Airport in the state of Indiana.

A South Bend International representative said he could not provide information on the flight and suggested checking the FlightAware website.

An emergency responder walks past debris from a small plane crash in Woodbury Township on Thursday. Federal aviation officials continue to investigate the crash that occurred Thursday morning in a residential area. Two men on board the plane were killed. Additional photos can be viewed at cu.altoonamirror.com. Mirror photo by Gary M. Baranec

The website shows that the Lancaster-to-South Bend flight had been “diverted.” It does not specify the reason for that diversion.

A later post shows that the plane — listed as Tail No. N451TD — was scheduled to arrive at Altoona-Blair County Airport at 8:51 a.m. Thursday.

It crashed 7 minutes before that estimated arrival time.

There were overcast conditions Thursday morning near the Blair County airport, with a low cloud ceiling that had visibility reduced to three-quarters of a mile to 2 miles about 8:30 a.m., according to the National Weather Service.

Meteorologist Aaron Tybursky said the base of the clouds was between 300 feet and 700 feet, and while there was a light rain, only a hundredth of an inch fell during the 8 a.m. hour, he said.

The temperature was 43 degrees, which meant freezing levels would have been at between 2,000 and 3,000 feet, Tybursky noted.

Registration information posted by the FAA describes the plane as a “fixed-wing single-engine” aircraft and lists its owner as CPD-JJD LLC. The owner’s address is listed at 200 Richardson Drive in Lancaster.

That address corresponds to Choice Security Services LLC. One of the company’s owners, Ray Bear, spoke Thursday afternoon, explaining that his business partner, James Durkin, was a pilot.

Durkin, Bear said, was on his way to South Bend, where he “had business” at Notre Dame University. Bear said he had been in contact with Durkin’s wife and could not provide additional information.

Durkin is listed as treasurer of the Harrisburg Club of Notre Dame’s Alumni Association. The university is scheduled to host an Alumni Association Leadership Conference from Thursday through Saturday, according to its website.

University representatives said they could not comment on the crash Thursday afternoon.

Michael Tafelski, the Harrisburg alumni club’s Lancaster liaison, said he had not heard about the crash. He speculated that if Durkin was in fact flying the plane, the second person onboard could have been another club member headed to the leadership conference.

Attempts to contact a number of other club members were unsuccessful.

Mirror Staff Writer Greg Bock is at 946-7458. Mirror Staff Writer Sean Sauro is at 946-7535.