PLAINFIELD, Ill. (AP) - A small plane crashed into a residential neighborhood in a northern Illinois city Thursday morning, killing the pilot and torching the side of a home.
Although it was unclear how many were aboard the aircraft, the pilot was killed in the crash, Joliet City Manager Jim Hock said, adding that it was "very fortunate" no other injuries resulted from the crash.
Authorities believe the fuel tank ruptured when the plane hit the street and ignited a fire that spread to a house to the north, Joliet Deputy Fire Chief Ray Randich said at a news conference.
The crash happened in Plainfield, which is next to Joliet, but the Joliet Fire Department responded to the scene.
Ed Malinowski of the National Transportation Safety Board says the plane, a Piper PA30, took off from Florida, landed in Tennessee and was headed for Wisconsin. The pilot hasn't been identified.
Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Tony Molinaro said the agency has sent a team to the crash site to determine the type of aircraft involved in the crash and gather information that will be passed on to the NTSB. The agency will lead the investigation and determine the cause of the crash.
Aerial television video of the crash site showed that siding from that home was peeling from the structure and smoke rose from the inside. Video also showed parts of a small plane scattered in a street and in the lawn and driveway of a home.
Plainfield is about 40 miles southwest of Chicago.
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This story has been corrected to show that the crash happened in Plainfield, not Joliet.