The Ohio Highway Patrol reported the plane was a 1963 Piper Cherokee.
AKRON, Ohio – Two people are dead in a crash Plane crashes into house in Akron, Ohio Thursday afternoon.
The accident happened at around 3.45pm in the residential development of Coventry Crossing, a residential area in the south of the city with a population of about 190,000.
Akron fire officials responded to reports of heavy smoke in the area. When crews arrived, they found fire and smoke coming from the house. Two homes were evacuated and no residents were reported injured.
Two victims were found dead inside the plane, emergency personnel said. Their identities have not been released.
The Ohio Highway Patrol reported the plane was a 1963 Piper Cherokee. The plane took off from Akron Fulton Airport, about four miles east of the crash site.
“The incident remains under active investigation and police, local law enforcement, fire and EMS personnel are continuing to assess the scene. Residents are encouraged to avoid the area while emergency personnel remain on scene,” OSHP added in a release.
The National Transportation Safety Board will lead the investigation, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
Akron Fire Department responds
At a news conference at the scene, Akron Fire Department District Chief Silje Rush told reporters that officials first received calls that residents saw a plane crash into a home.
“We received more calls about people hearing explosions and when we arrived we saw smoke coming from the house and we addressed the situation and treated it as a house fire,” she explained.
The plane crash caused severe damage to the house. Akron fire investigators will work with the Ohio State Fire Marshal to determine the structural integrity of the home, Rush explained.
Rush added that given the close proximity of homes near the crash site, the department is being “very protective” of all nearby residents.
Neighbors told Cleveland television station 3News they are coming together through community social media groups to help collect items and provide support for families affected by the tragedy.
