Pilot Killed When Small Plane Crashes In Plainfield

Updated 07/21/16 - 1:51 p.m.

(CBS) -- The pilot of a small plane was killed when the plane crashed in a subdivision in unincorporated Plainfield late Thursday morning, setting a nearby house on fire.

The FAA said a plane with one person on board crashed into a home in Plainfield and caught fire, but local officials at the scene said it appeared the plane landed short of the house, and sent flames shooting into the side of the home.

The flight originated in Florida, stopped in Tennessee with a final destination of Oshkosh, Wis., officials said. The Will County coroner's office was working on identifying the person who was flying the plane but said that could take up to several days.

Joliet Deputy Fire Chief Ray Randich said it appears the plane's fuel tank ruptured when it hit the ground near the intersection of Hampton Court and Bedford Drive, and set a nearby house on fire.

"The house that ignited was across to the north, up onto the parkway, so there was quite a bit of a distance between where the plane came onto the street, and where the flames made contact with the house," he said.

Joliet officials said the pilot was killed, but no injuries were reported on the ground.

"We are fortunate to have a plane crash in a crowded neighborhood like this and not have any additional injuries," Joliet Police Chief Brian Benton said.

Joliet city manager Jim Hock said no one was inside the home at the time of the crash. Joliet city officials responded to the plane crash because it occurred in unincorporated Plainfield.

Investigators from the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board were headed to the site to begin their probe of the crash.

Hock would not comment on witness accounts that the plane might have been struck by lightning.

The plane's engine and propeller landed a few blocks away from the crash site -- the engine in the back yard of a home, and the propeller on a street next to a parked car.

One woman said she was walking her dog when she noticed a small white plane that was flying low and appeared to be tipped on its side shortly before the crash.

"The engine didn't sound any different on it. I just thought he was out for kind of a fly, and that he was making a very sharp turn, because he was literally sideways when he was making a turn, and then I never saw the plane after that," she said.

Andrew Scardina said he saw the plane take a very sharp turn before nosediving into the ground.

"I saw the plume of smoke coming up when it hit the ground. It's just a few blocks from where I was standing," he said.

"There was a very loud boom,and the windows and mirror were shaking," said Katie Arushanyan. "My son started screaming fire, fire, fire."

Fredy Colon was standing in his backyard with his wife when objects began falling from the sky.

It turns out those objects were parts of the plane that crashed blocks away, including the engine.

"The initial reaction, the adrenaline takes over, and I'm just looking up at the sky making sure there are no other parts," Colon said.

And not too far away, Gary Cue saw the propeller land on the street, damaging his car.

"I was in my porch actually and I saw propeller come off," Cue said. "I thought it was something black and it hit the car."

In:
• Plainfield
• Vince Gerasole
• Airplane Crash