A Continental Airlines plane crashed into a home near Buffalo, New York, late Thursday, killing 44 passengers and four crew members on board, according to New York State police. A huge fire burns from the wreckage of Continental Airlines Flight 3407 near Buffalo, New York.

Authorities also said one person on the ground was killed. It is not yet known whether that person was in the home at the time of the crash. Continental Connection Flight 3407, operated by Colgan Air, was en route from Newark, New Jersey, when it went down, said Bill Peat with New York State Emergency Management in Albany. The crash occurred about seven miles from Buffalo Niagara International Airport.

The first sign of trouble was when Flight 3407 went off the radar. The plane crashed about 10:20 p.m., hitting a Clarence Center, New York, home. Authorities said the plane went down near a local fire hall, so firefighters were quick to respond to the accident scene.

A statement from the airline said: "At this time, the full resources of Colgan Air's accident response team are being mobilized and will be devoted to cooperating with all authorities responding to the accident and to contacting family members and providing assistance to them." Continental Airlines confirmed that the Bombardier Dash 8 Q400, a 74-seat turboprop, was operating between Newark Liberty International Airport and Buffalo.

Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) permanently grounded its fleet of Dash 8s after three crash landings during a two-month period in 2007 that were blamed on the aircraft's landing gear. "Confidence in the Q400 has diminished considerably and our customers are becoming increasingly doubtful about flying in this type of aircraft," Mats Jansson, president and CEO of SAS, said at the time. "I have decided to immediately remove Dash 8 Q400 aircraft from service."

The National Transportation Safety Board said early Friday that was preparing a "go team" to head to Buffalo to investigate the crash. There was a wintry mix at the time of the crash, officials said.

Officials said relatives of passengers aboard the flight should call 1-800-621-3263 for information. At this time, officials said they are not concerned about a hazardous materials situation on the ground.