By Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A small plane crashed into a home in a gated community in the hills of Monterey County on Tuesday, starting a fire in the house that spread to nearby bushes. It is not yet known if people were inside the residence or how many people were on the plane, officials said.
Dorothy Priolo, a spokeswoman with the Monterey County Regional Fire District, said firefighters were dispatched to the home in Monterra Ranch, near Highway 68, after receiving reports of a plane crash.
The twin-engine Cessna 421 crashed into a residential area after departing from the Monterey Regional Airport in Monterey, California, at 10:40 a.m., according to a preliminary report by the Federal Aviation Administration.
The FAA did not yet have information about the number of people on board nor reports of injuries of people on the ground.
The pilot was reportedly the only person on board and his status has not yet been confirmed, a sheriff’s office spokesperson said. Chris Bourquin, the acting chief of police of Del Rey Oaks, which also covers the airport, described the crash as “not survivable,” the Monterey Herald reported.
Crews with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection extinguished the brush fire. The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating.
Monterra Ranch is a gated community with luxury homes in the hills, about 2 miles (3 kilometers) southeast of the Monterey Regional Airport.
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