It has been confirmed that two men died in a fiery plane crash around 11:30 Wednesday (10/3/2012) morning in Gary, Indiana. Earlier in the day, the single-engine Cirrus SR-22 aircraft took off from the Smyrna Airport.

Officials say witnesses heard the engine sputter and then an explosion. The crash was about 400-feet away from the Lighthouse Charter School and a mile from the Gary-Chicago International Airport. As a safety precaution, approximately 650 students were released from that school early. 

Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board say the single engine aircraft was enroute to Gary. It had landed in Smyrna Tuesday afternoon. The plane took off from Smyrna at 9:25AM Wednesday morning and was to have landed in Gary at 11:15AM (both Central Times).

The FAA still has not released the names of the pilot and the other man who died in the crash, however the aircraft is owned by Gandy Air, LLC in St. Augustine, Florida.