Man Killed in Plane Crash Identified

The man killed in the Tuesday afternoon plane crash in a Wilton Center field was the president of a Minnesota aviation service business.

Larry Diffley, 74, was the sole occupant of the multi-engine Beech 58 that went down shortly after 2:30 p.m.

Diffley operated Bemidji Aviation Services in Bemidji, MN. According to the company's website, Diffley and another man took over the business "with three employees, their own Cessna 150 and the three 150's already in place at Bemidji Aviation" in 1970.

Diffley is listed as the company's president.

Employees of Bemidji Aviation Services declined to give their names or much information about the crash Tuesday evening. One said, "We are aware of the crash and we're working with the (National Transportation Safety Board) to obtain more details."

The six-seat, two-engine plane was registered to Bemidji Aviation Services.

The field where the plane crashed is on the southwest corner of Offner and Gougar roads. The plane went down about a mile from the surrounding roads, crashing within a half-mile of two houses to the north and to the south of the crash. The plane crashed about midway between Manhattan's two fire stations.

Elizabeth Isham Cory of the Federal Aviation Administration said on Tuesday night that it was not yet known where the plane took off from and where it was headed when it crashed.

Patch will update this story as more information becomes available.

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