A small plane crashed into a Simi Valley neighborhood on the afternoon of May 3, authorities said, killing two people who were in the aircraft and hitting two homes that subsequently caught fire. The pilot, a passenger and a dog in the aircraft died, the Simi Valley Police Department reported in the evening. The identities of the individuals were not reported pending notification of next of kin.
The accident took place around 1:51 p.m. in the 200 block of High Meadow Street, according to preliminary reports from the Ventura County Fire Department. The street cuts east from South Wood Ranch Parkway in the Wood Ranch area. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement County Director of Airports Keith Freitas said he understands the plane departed from the General William J.
Fox Airfield in Lancaster at 1:19 p.m. and was headed to the Camarillo Airport before the crash. "We believe it's an aircraft based at the Camarillo Airport," he said. Initial callers had reported that a hillside was on fire along with a plane.
Firefighters subsequently arrived and reported a plane into a structure with smoke showing, radio traffic indicated. A small plane crashed into two homes in on High Meadow Street in Simi Valley on May 3, catching both on fire. Two people in the plane died.
Simi Valley Police Department Sgt. Chris Johnson said officers found the small plane in the backyard of a residence. The single-engine, fixed-wing aircraft crashed into two houses, according to Andrew Dowd, spokesman for the county fire department.
Both are two-story single family homes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Residents were inside both of the homes at the time and were evacuated. No one on the ground was injured, Dowd said.
About 40 firefighters responded. Both houses were impacted by fire and sustained structural damage, Dowd said. As of late afternoon, firefighters were still carrying out overhaul and salvage operations.
The plane was so badly damaged it was difficult to identify the wreckage as an aircraft, Dowd said. Police officials said the department had received a report from the Point Mugu Air Traffic Control regarding a possible plane crash. The plane was not a military craft, authorities said.
It was described by the National Transportation Safety Board as a Vans RV-10, which appears to be a kit-built aircraft. A palm tree stands sheared after a small plane crashed into two homes on High Meadow Street in Simi Valley on May 3. Two people in the plane died.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board will take over the investigation, police officials said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The police department advised motorists to avoid the area. Editor's note: This story will be updated.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Small plane crashes in Simi Valley neighborhood
