A SINGLE-ENGINE AIRCRAFT APPROACHING THE St. Louis (Missouri) Downtown Airport crashed into a home five miles short of the airport Sunday evening.
KTVI-TV
There was a rainstorm occurring at the time and neighbors say that the Piper’s engine was making a strange sound just before it plunged into the house in Belleville, Illinois. The house is located on a private airstrip that is part of an aviation community that shares the grass landing strip. It is possible that the pilot, knowing he was in trouble, was attempting to put down at the private runway.
The plane crashed into a hanger that was attached to the house, setting both full ablaze. The occupants of the house were not at home at the time. Early indications are that there were two people in the turboprop Piper Meridian that seats six passengers. A spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration said the aircraft was flying from Vero Beach, Fla., and was scheduled to land at the St. Louis Downtown Airport where it was based.
KTVI-TV Ch.2 has this video report from the scene:
The Belleville News-Democrat has the STORY.
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