Authorities say 50 people are dead after a commuter plane crashed into a home in suburban Buffalo and erupted in flames.

Officials of Colgan Air had earlier said 48 people were on the plane. It now appears the plane was carrying 44 passengers, four crew members and one off-duty pilot.

Clarence emergency control director Dave Bissonet says late Thursday's crash also killed one person on the ground.

The Q400 Bombardier turboprop was flying late Thursday from Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey to Buffalo Niagara International Airport in light snow, fog and 17 mph winds. It crashed around 10:10 p.m., about 10 miles from the airport. It had 44 passengers and a crew of four.

Houston-based Continental Airlines Inc. says Manassas, Va.-based Colgan Air is "in the process of collecting information."

The Federal Aviation Administration says its representatives will be on the scene at first daylight.