2 dead after small plane crashes into homes in Simi Valley, California
Two people were killed when a small, home-built kit airplane crashed in Simi Valley, California, on Saturday afternoon, damaging two homes, officials said.
The Van's RV-10 crashed near High Meadow Street and Wood Ranch Parkway at around 2 p.m. in Simi Valley, about 40 miles northwest of Los Angeles, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
The pilot and a passenger died in the crash, the Ventura County Fire Department said.
"Simi Valley PD in coordination with the medical examiners office has verified there were two passengers in the aircraft, both of whom were fatally injured in the accident," the fire department said in a statement.
Some 40 firefighters were dispatched and put out the flames, according to the fire department.
There were people inside the two homes at the time of the crash, but they were not hurt, fire department spokesman Andrew Dowd said.
The Simi Valley Police Department and the NTSB are partnering on the ground investigation, the police department said Sunday.
The NTSB is removing the wreckage of the plane and the road will remain closed until the investigation is complete.
Shelby Joice told ABC News she lives across the street from where the plane crashed. She said she and her mother were watching TV when they heard what sounded like a helicopter passing over.
"All of a sudden, we heard a big crash and our entire house started shaking. We actually thought something crashed into our house," Joice said.
She said they witnessed a "big, massive fireball" and black plumes of smoke.
The plane departed from William J. Fox Airfield in Lancaster and was heading to Camarillo Airport, according to the FAA.
The National Transportation Safety Board will lead the investigation and work with the FAA.
The full investigation will take months to complete, the NTSB said.
ABC News' Matthew Holroyd contributed to this report.
