COATESVILLE, Pa. — A longtime school official in a central Pennsylvania community was killed when the small plane he was flying crashed shortly after taking off from an airport.

Sam Ganow was the only person aboard the twin-engine Gulfstream American GA-7 when it went down shortly before 1:30 p.m. Thursday, according to the Chester County Department of Emergency Services. The aircraft ended up between a home and some trees, but no homes were damaged and no injuries were reported on the ground.

The plane had departed minutes earlier from the county airport in Coatesville. The cause of the crash remains under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board.

Ganow, 65, of Cochranville, was serving as board president of the Octorara Area School District and had been a board member there for 26 years.

“His commitment to education and his tireless efforts to enhance the educational experience for our students made a lasting impact on our school district,” superintendent Steven Leever wrote in a message posted on the district’s website.