“A big part of the airplane was in their living room,” said neighbor Luz Cazares. The 62-year-old said she ran into the backyard after the crash. “I jumped the fence and knocked on the back door of the kitchen; I thought they were dead,” she said.
An elderly couple inside the 1 1/2-story frame home in the 6500 block of Knox Street were not injured, officials at the scene said. Fire crews were working to stabilize the house in order to search for the pilot, who they believe was the only person on board.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash. FAA spokesperson Elizabeth Corey said the plane was a cargo jet that departed Runway 31C at Chicago's Midway Airport this morning.
The plane was enroute to Chicago Executive Airport in Palwaukee. Soon after departure, the pilot reported engine problems and tried to return to Midway, but crashed approximately one-quarter mile off Runway 31C at about 2:42 a.m., according to preliminary information from the FAA.
Chicago Fire Chief Michael Fox said crews were called to the home at 2:45 a.m.
"The first company on the scene found a small two-engine plane had crashed into a 1 1/2 story frame house," he said. "Two elderly victims in the house were removed and checked out by EMS. They're both fine.
"We got reports from the Midway tower that there's only one person on the plane. We have not located that person yet," he said around 4 a.m. The plane is registered to a company in Fairway, Kan.
Cazares’ daughter Silvia said she still can’t believe a plane crashed into the area home.
Jocelyn Mejia, 24, said she could see the crash from her bedroom window.
"I was already up, tossing and turning, and I heard the plane and then I heard a crash," said Mejia, who has lived on the block for 10 years and has two children.
"I kind of knew what it was and then, sure enough, like two minutes later I heard the fire trucks," she said. "I didn't feel shaking or anything, it was just a loud bang. It scared me.
"It's crazy. It's right down the street. I didn't think anything like that would happen, even living by the airport," she said. "We were really lucky. Everyone here is really lucky."
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