TOWN OF PORTER — The pilot of a small plane died when the plane crashed just before noon on the Niagara Scenic Parkway northeast of Fort Niagara, according to the Niagara County Sheriff’s Office.

The initial investigation revealed that an airplane from Skydive the Falls had released all divers and was heading back to land, when it crashed.

While authorities have not released the name of the pilot pending family notification, the family has spoken to other media outlets and we can confirm that the pilot was 26-year-old Melanie Georger of Tonawanda.

Georger was the only person onboard at the time of the crash and was killed. Notification was made to the Federal Aviation Administration and The National Transportation Safety Board. The scene will be secured until a complete investigation can be performed. The name of the pilot will not be released at this time, pending notification to family.

The crash was also reported to have started a brush fire around the crash site. Niagara County Sheriff’s Deputies, NYS Troopers, Town of Lewiston Police and NYS Park Police Officers responded to the scene. The Youngstown Volunteer Fire Company was also on scene to extinguish the fires.