(Reuters) - A small cargo plane crashed into a home in Chicago early Tuesday, moments after the pilot had reported engine problems, authorities said.
The occupants of the home escaped uninjured after the crash at 2:42 a.m. CST but Chicago police said they did not have information about potential injuries sustained by the pilot, who authorities said was the only occupant of the plane.
The plane, an Aero Commander 500 cargo jet, had left Chicago Midway International Airport and was headed to Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Elizabeth Cory said in a statement.
She did not say why the pilot changed his plan but soon after the plane's departure, the pilot reported engine problems and asked to return to the Midway Airport, Cory said.
The crash occurred about a quarter mile from an airport runway, she said.
Cory said the National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA would investigate.
Local broadcaster WGN-TV had a photo showing the plane's tail standing upright in front of the crumbled facade of the building.
The multi-engine plane is registered to the Kansas-based Central Airlines Inc, according to the FAA aircraft registry. Police had earlier said the plane was a single-engine craft.
A person answering the phone for Central Air Southwest said the company was cooperating with the investigation and declined to provide additional comment.
(Reporting by Karen Brooks in Austin, Texas; Editing by Bill Trott)
