Plane breaks apart in California, killing 5 and injuring 2

YORBA LINDA (CNS) – A Cessna airplane crashed into a Yorba Linda home Sunday, killing the pilot and four people inside the home it struck, also injuring two more people in the residence, authorities said.

The plane nose-dived onto the 19000 block of Crestknoll Drive about 1:45 p.m., Orange County Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman Carrie Braun said.

The 1981 twin-engine Cessna 414A took off from Fullerton Municipal Airport about 10 minutes before the crash, according to National Transportation Safety Board Investigator Eliott Simpson.

Radar data indicated the plane made a left turn and climbed 7,800 feet before crashing into the house, leaving the cabin in a ravine behind the house and debris scattered over four blocks, Simpson said.

The airport is about 15 miles from the accident site.

There’s no information so far regarding why the plane crashed, Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Cameron Rossman said.

The pilot was the only person on the plane and two males and two females were killed inside the house, Orange County sheriff’s Lt. Cory Martino said.

The names of those killed and injured were withheld pending notification of kin.

The two injured victims were hospitalized with burn injuries. Their conditions were unknown.

One firefighter suffered an ankle injury, Rossman said.

NTSB investigators expected to spend Monday gathering evidence and picking up the pieces of the aircraft before it is taken to a storage facility in Phoenix, Simpson said.

A preliminary crash report will be available in 10-14 days, he said.