small plane crashes into Michigan home

Three dead after small plane crashes into Michigan home

Three people died Saturday after a small plane crashed into a home in Lyon Township, Mich., authorities report.

According to a statement issued by the Oakland County Sheriff's Office, the three deceased are believed to have been the occupants of the plane — two passengers and a pilot. The Lyon Township home became fully engulfed in flames after the crash occurred, however the home's five residents were safely evacuated. The family cat, however, did not survive the incident, according to CNN affiliate WDIV.  

In a statement to The Hill, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) identified the plane as a single-engine Piper PA-24, and said the crash occurred at around 4 p.m. local time.

 

The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will both investigate the incident, and will release further details as they come in.

 A neighbor told the local outlet that there were concerns that something like this could happen due to the area's close proximity to Oakland/Southwest Airport.

"I've got two siblings who are under 2 years old, and they were upstairs sleeping; they were taking naps ... You worry like could this happen to us, because these plane fly low over here all the time," said Chase Southwick, according to CNN.