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The man piloting the plane that crashed Wednesday on Interstate 15 warned air traffic controllers what was about to happen, but gave no indications of any prior problems, according to radio traffic.

"Hey, I'm going down! Six Whiskey Bravo," Layne Clarke said, referencing the tail number on his single-engine Beech A36 Bonanza — N60WB.

"I just saw him go down," someone said moments later. "He just hit the highway there."

"Looks like he spun out of control and went straight down to the highway," someone else said.

The radio traffic was captured by the website liveatc.net.

Clarke, 48, and his wife, Diana Clarke, 46, both of Taylor, an unincorporated area south of Marriott-Slaterville, died in the crash.

Passengers Perry Huffaker, 45, and Sarah Huffaker, 42, of West Haven, also died.

The four had planned to fly to Island Park, Idaho, for a vacation, said Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Todd Royce.

Keith Holloway, a spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board, said an investigator will be at the crash site for a couple days. A preliminary report may be released in 10 days, but it will be 12 to 18 months before a cause is determined.

Perry Huffaker was an Ogden municipal employee. City administrators announced on Facebook that flags in Ogden will be flown at half-staff in his honor.

Layne Clarke stored his plane at the Ogden-Hinckley Airport, staff there confirmed Thursday. The plane crashed not far from the airport on the interstate near Riverdale Road. While no one on the ground was hurt, there were many witnesses.

The Utah Department of Public Safety's Victim Services and agencies in Weber County have established a Family Assistance Center where witnesses and those affected by the crash can receive information and counseling. The center will be open today from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Weber County Building, 2380 Washington Blvd. in Ogden. Anyone needing assistance can also contact Jamie Pitt, the county's victim witness coordinator at 801-399-8377.

Clark's brother, Corry Don Clarke, died in another plane crash in the same area on July 16, 2002. Corry Clarke, 34, was a passenger on an experimental, helicopter-like gyroplane when it, too, plunged to the ground shortly after takeoff from the Ogden-Hinckley Airport. The 41-year-old pilot, Steward Thatcher, of Farmington, also died in that crash.

Wednesday's crash shocked friends and family of the victims.

"Words cannot describe the feelings I have right now ... It's a sickening feeling to watch it on the news knowing it's your family," Justin Robins of Layton, the Clarkes' nephew, wrote on Facebook. "I'm saddened knowing that their kids have lost their parents. One was getting married this next month, another was on a mission to Germany, and two of them are doing a service project in Mexico right now.

"They were two of the most giving, service oriented, and spiritually fit people I know. They've raised their kids with good morals and a solid spiritual foundation. Diana and Layne you will truly be missed by so many," Robins added.

Huffaker was the division manager for public ways and parks in Ogden. Mark Johnson, the chief administrator for Ogden, on Wednesday explained that Huffaker had oversight of everything from streets and sanitation to last week's Pioneer Days parade and rodeo.

"He's been here seven years and has been wonderful. He's probably one of the most outgoing people we had and was loved by everybody."

The Huffakers had four children. The oldest two are currently serving missions for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day saints, Johnson said.

"He was so proud of his family," Johnson said.

The plane took off from the Ogden-Hinckley Airport, then crashed about a half-mile away, confirmed Allen Kenitzer, spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration.

At about 1 p.m., the plane, reportedly flying south and failing to gain altitude when its engine emitted a loud noise, plunged 300 feet and hit the median of I-15, where it burst into flames.

Randy Paulson told KUTV News that there was "a big black solid red ball of fire. There's no way you could've survived it."

Truck driver Obdulio Ruiz said it appeared that the pilot was trying to land the plane on the freeway just before the crash, according to The Associated Press.

— Tribune reporter Bob Mims contributed to this story

ncarlisle@sltrib.com

Twitter: @natecarlisle