BELLEVILLE (AP) – Authorities say a small plane that slammed into a house and hangar in a southwestern Illinois subdivision built for aviation enthusiasts never sent out a distress signal before crashing.
St. Clair County Sheriff’s Capt. Steve Johnson says authorities believe two people were on board the plane that went down Sunday evening while approaching St. Louis Downtown-Parks Airport, just east of St. Louis. He says those people haven’t yet been identified.
Airport director Bob McDaniel says the plane was a single-engine Piper Malibu that was flying from Vero Beach, Fla.
Johnson says no one on the ground was injured and that the occupants of the home in the Aero Estates Court subdivision were out having dinner when the crash happened. Neighbors rescued two dogs from the home.
Federal aviation and transportation officials are investigating.
Distributed via Chicago Press Release Services