Two family homes were struck on its fatal descent
Two people and a dog tragically lost their lives in an airplane crash 50 miles outside of Los Angeles yesterday (May 3).
The Vans RV-10 model was described as a small, homemade craft heading to Camarillo Airport from William J. Fox Airfield.
An official announcement from Ventura County Fire Department read: “VCFD was dispatched to a single-engine, fixed-wing aircraft that crashed into two single family homes with an active fire in the 200 block of High Meadow Street in Simi Valley. Firefighters began an aggressive fire attack and quickly knocked down the fire.
“Both homes were occupied at the time, and firefighters assisted with evacuating residents. No injuries to residents or firefighters were reported. Both homes were impacted by fire and sustained structural damage.”
The pilot, passenger and animal all died at the scene, although the human identities are yet to be confirmed.
Shelby Joyce, who lives across the street from the wreckage, told ABC News that she and her mother were watching TV when they heard what sounded like a helicopter flying above.
“All of a sudden, we heard a big crash and our entire house started shaking. We actually thought something crashed into our house,” Joyce revealed, who went on to witness a “massive fireball” close to her property.
Arman Hovakemian, whose house was struck by the plane, recalled watching it “flying low, almost on its side, spiralling toward the ground.”
Per ABC7 Eyewitness News, he continued: “I came in to the patio door to warn [my partner], and then I heard the bang, then I turned around, she was almost out. The hose was there, so I grabbed the hose because I saw the fire on the plane, and then I saw the fire on the house.
“I kept the hose on the plane, and then it just exploded, so I dropped it and I said, ‘I need to kind of back away,’ because I could smell a lot of gas and fuel.”
The National Transportation Safety Board is now leading an investigation alongside the Federal Aviation Administration.
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