A small plane crashed into a Madeira home Tuesday, killing the pilot, and sending dark plumes of smoke into the afternoon sky, Trend reports citing WCPO.com.
In the panicked 911 calls that followed, one neighbor described a "horrible gas smell" and wondered out loud whether she should grab her fire extinguisher. Another described the plane's descent as a nosedive.
The twin-engine Piper PA-31 crashed into the rear of the Rollymeade Avenue home at about 3:18 p.m., according to Madeira Fire Department chief Steve Ashbrock and the Federal Aviation Administration. First responders found the aircraft on fire when they arrived at approximately 3:24.
Ashbrock said the home's residents were unharmed, and first responders rescued two dogs from inside the building.
The pilot, however — a 62-year-old man, according to Hamilton County Coroner Lakshmi Sammarco — died. Sammarco said investigators found identifying information on-scene but would not release it until the man's family had been contacted and a scientific examination confirmed that the body matched the documents.
Determining the cause of the crash could take much longer.
"We’re prepared to do this right, but it takes time," Ashbrock said, adding later: "It's not unfair to say if you have anything or things come to you, please call Madeira police."
Sammarco said National Transportation Security Board investigators would arrive later Tuesday night and begin examining the crash scene Wednesday morning.
The plane was registered to Mississippi-based MARC, Inc., a company that advertises itself as "North America's largest provider of specialized contract aircraft and flight crews for airborne GIS, survey and surveillence projects." According to a company representative, the plane was used for photography and surveying.
RadarBox, a website that tracks air traffic, shows the plane took off from Lunken and flew a northwest-southeast pattern across a large swath of southwest Ohio, then flew north to the Springfield area and flew a similar pattern there.
It was headed southwest, back toward Cincinnati, when it crashed. Ashbrock said the plane was headed inbound to Lunken.