A well–known Arizona businessman and his wife have been identified as the victims of a fiery plane crash that sent their aircraft sliding off the runway.

Chris Sheafe and his wife Jacque were killed in the crash around 6.50pm Wednesday at Marana Regional Airport, about 20 miles northwest of Tucson, according to sources cited by Tucson.com.

The Piper P32R carrying the couple veered off the runway and burst into flames, killing them both, Marana Mayor Jon Post told the Associated Press.

Sheafe was a prominent regional developer behind numerous commercial and residential projects around the Tucson area.

His work included the ritzy Ventana Country Club golf resort and the exclusive Rancho del Lago, a golf–centered gated community about 25 miles south of Tucson where homes can go for more than $500,000.

His wife Jacque had worked as a sales consultant at PulteGroup since 2010, according to a public LinkedIn profile.

No one else was injured and no other planes were involved in the crash, the Marana Police Department said Wednesday.

The fatal crash marked the second deadly incident at the small Arizona airport in just over a year after a midair collision killed two people last February.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) told the Daily Mail on Friday that a preliminary crash report showed N4190E was the aircraft's registration number.

The FAA said the plane had departed from Springerville Municipal Airport prior to the deadly event.

Travel details on FlightAware confirmed that an aircraft with that registration left Springerville around 3.52pm and landed in Marana a little more than two hours later.

FAA records did not list an individual plane owner, but rather a limited liability company called 4190E LLC and based in Tucson.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Wednesday night on X that it was investigating the crash.

The Sheafes had recently traveled to Indianapolis to watch the University of Arizona's basketball team play in the NCAA men's tournament, KVOA reported.

Jacque's public social media presence reveals that she was a University of Arizona alum with a bachelor of science in microbiology and medical technology.

Marana spokesperson Vic Hathaway said the deadly crash happened on the airport's 'shorter runway.'

'The long runway here at the Marana Regional Airport is currently under construction, so this incident took place on the cross wind,' Hathaway told the outlet.

She called the deaths a tragedy and said Marana remained 'committed to the safety of those who use the facility, both through this investigation and our continued efforts through the tower that will be constructed next year.' 

A spokesperson for the Town of Marana, citing the airport manager, told the Daily Mail on Friday that the airport reopened late on Thursday after the crash sparked a temporary closure. 

'As for the identities, we are aware local outlets are reporting that. However, they are sourcing close friends,' the spokesperson added. 

'The victims have not been positively identified and I know our police department is waiting on that still and next of kin notifications before releasing any information.'

Arizona Rep. Juan Ciscomani said Thursday night on X that he was 'deeply saddened to hear of [sic] tragic and unexpected passing' of the Sheafes.

He remembered the businessman as a 'dear friend' who was also a 'wise and thoughtful man who generously shared his time with the people and causes he believed in.'

Ciscomani wrote: 'Chris devoted decades to making the American Dream a reality as a homebuilder and was a driving force in shaping Tucson's hospitality industry as a partner in the company that constructed the Loews Ventana Canyon Hotel.'

The congressman lauded the businessman's work with the Tucson International Airport Authority or the Southern Arizona Homebuilders Association as signs of 'just how passionately he cared about the community he called home for the past 50 years.' 

A longtime friend of the couple, Bill Assenmacher, said he would miss the couple after learning on Thursday morning that they had died.

'Chris … was truly a gentleman that everybody respected and emulated his involvement in the community,' Assenmacher told KVOA.

Assenmacher added: 'He was a wonderful human being and a great Christian, and I will miss him. Him and Jacque both.'

'If you were around her, I know she had a background in interior design, and if you ever went into their house it looked like she had just set it up for a dinner party,' Assenmacher told the outlet.

The NTSB told the Daily Mail that the crash, according to them, happened at 5.09pm.

The Marana Police Department told the Daily Mail on Friday morning that it had no updates to provide on the crash or its victims.

The Daily Mail has reached out to Marana Mayor Jon Post for further comment.