A small plane crashed into a house in southwest suburban Plainfield subdivision on Thursday morning, killing the pilot.
The plane crashed into a street at Bedford Drive and Hampton Court, in the Brighton Lakes subdivision, near Theodore and Rt. 59, setting a two-story house on fire.
The crash occurred at 11:14 a.m, and officials believe the pilot was the only one on board the Piper PA-30 twin engine plane, which took off in Florida and made a stop in Tennessee. The planet was on its way to fly to Oshkosh, Wis. No injuries on ground were reported.
In its statement, the FAA said: “The FAA has sent a team to the crash site in Plainfield to determine the type of aircraft and to begin an investigation. The FAA will gather information and pass it to the NTSB, which is the agency that will lead the investigation and will determine the probable cause of the accident. Any additional information needs to come from the NTSB.”
There were no reports of any injuries on the ground. The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have started their investigation, and will focus on three main areas: aircraft’s maintenance history, pilot’s actions and weather conditions at the time of crash.
According to a witness, the plane hit the ground at a 45-degree angle. It appeared “in distress” and the impact of the collision shook houses blocks away.
Mark Daniel said his mother, Patricia Daniel, was home alone with her dog when the plane crashed. Mark’s father was out of town on a business trip, and Patricia was in the living room when she heard sounds of engine. From windows, she could see the plane approaching, and as soon as she came out of the house, she saw flames from the crashed plane.
“Everyone got out safe, no one was hurt,” said Mark Daniel.
Local firefighters brought the fire – which had engulfed the top story of the house – under control.
The crash left a trail of debris in a large area.
According to Joliet Fire Department Battalion Chief John Stachelski, many witnesses called the Joliet Fire Department revealing that they saw the plane going down and then crashing on the ground.
“It first came in as a report of a plane down, but we didn’t know the exact location,” Stachelski said. “We had to follow the smoke from the house.”
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