ST. CATHARINES — The three men killed in a Niagara-bound plane that crashed in northwest Pennsylvania have been identified.

The Pennsylvania State Police at Coudersport, near where the single-engine Piper PA-28 plane was found, confirmed on Tuesday the identities of the three passengers on board: Corey Mijac, 18, of St. Catharines; Benjamin Jeffries, 19, of Niagara-on-the-Lake; and Rifat Tawig, 25, of Niagara Falls.

Tawig was a Class 4 flight instructor with the St. Catharines Flying Club, a certified flight training unit and one of the oldest flying clubs in Canada.

Mijac and Jeffries, meanwhile, are graduates of Governor Simcoe Secondary School. Mijac graduated just this past June, while Jeffries graduated the year before.

District School Board of Niagara communications officer Brett Sweeney said students at the school were aware of the crash, and that rumours were swirling throughout the day about the identity of the victims. Staff were asked to keep an eye out for any students who knew them.

"We want to make sure those students are OK and offer support where we can," he said. "It's such a tragic loss. It's always a tragedy when young people have their lives cut short."

Conrad Hatcher, an instructor with the flying club who worked daily with Tawig since he joined earlier this year, described the young man with a 6-foot 5 inch-frame as a "gentle giant" and someone who was pursuing a career in aviation.

"He looked forward to someday flying for an airline," he said. "He was a very nice guy, easy to work with."

Hatcher described the mood around the small, tight-knit group as sombre, explaining that some of their younger members have never lost anyone before.

According to a statement released by the flying club, the accident occurred in a wooded area of northern Pennsylvania shortly before 9 p.m. on Oct. 16. The single-engine Piper Warrior aircraft was located after an extensive ground and air search by local Pennsylvania authorities, which was initially hampered by darkness and poor weather. All three occupants of the aircraft were pronounced dead at the scene.