Plane Crashes Into Calif. Home; One Dead

Plane Crashes Into Calif. Home; One Dead
8 minutes ago
A single-engine plane that appeared to be performing an aerobatic stunt lost control and crashed into a suburban home Sunday, killing at least one person on board the plane and sparking a fire that gutted the house, police said.

The crash killed the pilot, according to the Federal Aviation Administration and local police. But there were conflicting reports about whether there were other fatalities or if the home was occupied at the time.

The FAA reported two deaths, including the pilot, but fire and police officials at the scene said only the pilot was killed. The FAA also said two people were missing in the homes, but local authorities reported the houses were unoccupied.

The plane appeared to be doing an aerobatic maneuver when it crashed just before 11:30 a.m., Roseville Police spokeswoman Dee Dee Gunther said.

"The pilot appeared to be coming down low for some kind of maneuver that brought him to within 500 feet of the rooftops," she said. "And then he appeared to lose control and crashed into one of the houses."

Rick Wurster, who lives about a half mile from the crash, saw the plane attempting to make a figure eight.

"He couldn't pull up because he didn't have enough altitude," Wurster said. "I saw him do two spins and then go over the tree line. A second later, I heard two booms."

The pilot wasn't communicating with air traffic controllers at the time of the crash, Gunther said.

The crash also set fire to two neighboring homes, said Bruce Nelson, an operations officer for the FAA in Los Angeles.

"The main house has substantial damage but the other two, their damage isn't going to be as much," he said.

Roseville is about 16 miles northeast of Sacramento.