Plane crash ignites inferno in California neighborhood

Plane crash ignites inferno in California neighborhood

(AP) — Juan Cortes and his son were installing fencing when they saw a low-flying plane make an awkward tilt and go straight down into a quiet Southern California neighborhood of single-family homes.

The crash of the twin-engine Cessna 310 late Monday afternoon killed a man, a woman and a teenager, and two other women were ejected when it hit the corner of a house, authorities said.

No identities were released, but Riverside Fire Chief Michael Moore said the plane had just taken off from Riverside Municipal Airport, less than a mile away, bound for San Jose after a weekend cheerleading competition staged at the Disney California Adventure Park.

The tail number of the aircraft was N1246G, according to a government official with knowledge of the investigation who spoke on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to release the information until next-of-kin have been notified.

For many in the neighborhood the crash announced itself with a tremendous boom that rattled their houses like an earthquake.