A small twin-engine cargo plane crashed into a home on Chicago's southwest on Tuesday morning, moments after the pilot had reported engine trouble, Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford said. It was confirmed that the pilot was the only occupant on the plane, according to Chicago police.
While the two occupants of the house were determined to have escaped without suffering any injuries, details on the pilot's immediate condition has initially remained unclear, with authorities refusing to provide any information on the potential injuries the pilot may have sustained, the Associated Press reported.
But on Tuesday morning, Assistant Chicago Fire Department Commissioner Michael Fox stated that the pilot, whose name was not released, had died, with emergency crews attempting to recover the body from the wreckage.
Around 2:42 a.m. on Tuesday, the Aero Commander 500 cargo, having shortly departed from Chicago Midway International Airport and headed to Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, crashed into the front of the Chicago house and plunged deep into the basement, leaving only the tail sticking out upward and exposed, Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Elizabeth Cory said in a statement.
However soon after the plane's departure, the pilot had allegedly reported engine problems and informed the air traffic control that he would be returning to the Midway airport, Cory said, adding the she wasn't sure why the pilot changed his plan and was eventually located about a quarter mile short of the airport runway when the crash occurred, according to Reuters.
According to local broadcaster WGN-TV, photos showed the plane's tail standing upright in front of the crumbled facade of the building. But it was confirmed that there had been no fire or explosion, Langford said.
The incident is being investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board and the FFA, Cory added.
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.
Meanwhile, a spokesman for Central Air Southwest said the company was cooperating with the investigation and declined to provide additional comment, Reuters reported.
