Empire Blvd. runs across the southern end of Irondequoit Bay. There is a marina, and you could often see a sea plane moored there.

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A small seaplane crashed near Empire Blvd. in Penfield, killing two men.

Friends of the men killed in the crash identify them as David Finger, 57, of Perinton and Michael Barclay, 50, of Honeoye Falls.

The friends say the two were long-time flying buddies. Finger was self-employed in the graphics business. Barclay was a finance professor at the University of Rochester’s Simon School.

The crash happened around 11:30 a.m. The plane went down in a wooded area on the north side of Empire Blvd. on the Irondequoit Bay side. The Monroe County Sheriff’s Department says the pilot had just taken off from Irondequoit Bay. The plane beared left and then crashed.

“It apparently experienced some type of problem and then ended banking hard left and right into the ground,” Monroe County Sheriff Patrick O’Flynn said.

“There was a large column of black smoke visible as we were actually leaving the fire house. When we arrived on scene we found what appears to be a single engine aircraft in the middle of the field it was fully involved in fire,” West Webster Fire Chief Mark Cholach said.

One witness who was driving west on Empire Blvd. said traffic slowed down and she saw the plane in trouble and then crash.

“I started to slow down right away and then I saw smoke and I realized it hit and I just got sick. I realized it was a plane. It wasn’t real. It just wasn’t real,” Sandra Sidoti said.

Empire Blvd. was closed while emergency crews responded to the scene, but was back open by 2 p.m. The investigation is still in the early stages. Members of the Federal Aviation Administration are on scene.

Michael Barclay and David Finger were involved in another crash just last year.

Their small plane crashed in a wooded area in Parma in June. Barclay was at the controls of the halo craft when the accident occurred.

The Federal Aviation Administration said the engine quit, causing the plane to hit a tree. Barclay and Finger were injured in the 2006 crash.

The death of Finger is especially difficult for one Fairport neighborhood, still dealing with the tragic death of two girls killed in a car crash in June.

Finger lived down the street from Hannah Congdon and Meredith McClure’s families. The two girls along with their friends, Bailey Goodman, Katie Shirley and Sarah Monnat were killed in a crash in Bloomfield.

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Michael Barclay and David Finger were part of a flying family that’s made up of a group of pilots that would travel many places together.

They were heading off on one of those excursions when the accident happened shortly after take-off.

The two were on their way to Quebec when their seaplane went down.

Barry Holtz was going to meet them there. Holtz had taken off earlier from the airport and was ahead of his friends when air traffic controllers contacted him.

“The communications was very scratchy and I figured it was just as easy to go to Quebec, we’re only 15 miles from there and 108 from Rochester, and see what was cooking. So we got there, found out about it and came home,” Holtz explained.

The victims’ fellow pilots say these two were veteran flyers who were very well qualified.

“The competence of Dave and Mike as pilots certainly because that’s what everyone’s interested in today, but also in everything they ever did in their whole life,” said Buck Allen, another fellow pilot.

Flying was their passion and they bonded with others who shared that same passion. Dave Finger was the one who brought them all together.

“He came into my office many years ago and saw my solo pilot’s certificate on the wall,” said Lance Rightmyer. “He was there to buy a sign and the next thing you know I’ve met all these wonderful people through Dave.”

Finger was also the one to watch out for his fellow pilots and keep track of them on long trips.

“Dave would get ahead of me and he would say `can you see me buddy?’ And I’d say I’m just losing you,” Scott VanderWeel said. “He’d do a couple of 180s and let me catch up to him. That was kind of neat.”

Stories of Mike Barclay were also shared. There is one in particular when Mike was in high school and waited until late Sunday night to write a book report for health class due the following morning. Buck Allen said Barclay apparently made up the report along with the name of the book and author.

“He got an A+,” Allen said. “The teacher said `that is the best damn book I’ve ever heard of in my life where did you get it?’ And he said `well from the library.’ She said ‘I have to go get that.’ He says `well there’s a long list of people waiting to get it and I was lucky to get it.’ That is Mike Barclay.”

Dave and Mike’s flying buddies say it’s going to be difficult to continue without them, but vow they will because that’s what their two friends would want them to do.