One person killed when small plane crashes into two homes in California

By Zoe Sottile, CNN

(CNN) — A small plane crashed into two homes Saturday afternoon in Simi Valley, California, leaving one person in the plane dead and damaging both homes, authorities said.

The plane slammed into the two-story, single-family homes around 2:10 p.m. – igniting a fire and sending huge plumes of smoke into the air. People were inside both homes during the crash but were safely evacuated with no injuries, the Ventura County Fire Department said, and the fire was suppressed.

There was “one fatality in the aircraft,” according to the department. The FAA said that the pilot was alone on the aircraft.

The plane — a four-seat, single-engine plane — had departed from William J. Fox Airfield in Lancaster and was headed to Camarillo Airport when it crashed around 2:10 p.m. local time around 40 miles from downtown Los Angeles, the Federal Aviation Administration told CNN Saturday afternoon.

The aircraft was found in the backyard of a residence, according to the Simi Valley Police Department.

Around 40 firefighters were on scene, according to the fire department. Photos and videos of the crash site show smoke billowing above the homes and firetrucks lined up on the street outside the building.

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the incident, which comes after a devastating midair collision outside Washington, DC, in January and a string of aviation incidents across the country that have triggered scrutiny of air travel.

CNN has reached out to the Simi Valley Police Department, the Ventura County Fire Department, and the NTSB for more information.

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