Small jet crashes into homes in Indiana, kills 2

Mike Hartman / South Bend Tribune via AP

The front end of a Hawker Beachcraft Premier jet sits in a room of a home on Iowa Street in South Bend, Ind., Sunday, March 17, 2013. Authorities say a private jet apparently experiencing mechanical trouble crashed resulting in injuries. Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Roland Herwig says the Beechcraft Premier I twin-jet had left Tulsa, Okla.'s Riverside Airport and crashed near the South Bend Regional Airport on Sunday afternoon.

By Andrew Rafferty, Staff Writer, NBC News

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A small, private jet crashed into three homes in South Bend, Ind., killing at least two people after a failed landing attempt Sunday afternoon, officials said.

Four people were on board the plane that reported electrical problems while attempting to land at South Bend Regional Airport, according to an FAA spokesperson. Two people on board the plane were killed and two others were injured, according to Andrew Todd Fox, chief crash investigator for the National Transportation Safety Board.

One person on the ground was seriously injured, according to officials.

The Beechcraft Premier I twin-jet departed from Tulsa, Okla., and made several attempts to approach. On the final approach the engine stalled and the plan plummeted into a near-by neighborhood, according to the FAA.

Speaking to reporters Sunday night, John Corthier of the South Bend Fire Department said all those inside the affected homes have been accounted for. One home has yet to be searched by authorities because it is unstable, though the owner has been contacted.

A 1,000-foot perimeter has been established around the scene and almost 250 people have been evacuated, according to a spokesperson for the South Bend Police Department.

?There is quite a bit of fuel that is still in the basement and that is one of the main reasons why we have the area blocked,? said Corthier.

There was no fire at the site of the crash, but there was a gas leak, which prompted the evacuation. The area will remain evacuated until at least Monday morning.

Investigators expect to have a preliminary report of what happened in the next seven to 10 days.

Jay Blackman contributed to this report

Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/03/17/17349311-small-jet-crashes-into-homes-in-indiana?lite

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