Neighbors shocked as plane crashes onto roof
By Marlee Ginter
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AUBURN, California (KOVR) — A bizarre sight in a tight little neighborhood left neighbors stunned Wednesday afternoon in Auburn. A single engine Cessna 172 crashed onto a home.
“We just lost power and then immediately, there was a large boom and [we] thought a transformer that blew up or somebody hit a pole. That’s kind of the common thing,” said Norm Tucker.
”It would freak me out. It would totally freak me out,” said Joni Heinrich.
Heinrich couldn’t believe what happened at the end of her street. The plane took out some power lines, crashed through a line of trees and then landed on top of her neighbor’s home.
“We are in the flight path, so my husband’s always had nightmares about it,” said Heinrich.
“There’s plenty of planes that come this way, back and forth all the time just because of the proximity of the airport,” said Tucker.
Dispatch audio shows the confusion and chaos when the homeowner called 9-1-1 after the plane crashed onto her roof.
Dispatcher: “Crying stating that someone is in her house, and that there’s a guy in the house that needs an ambulance.”
The pilot apparently landed in her home and started calling out for help, startling the homeowner who had no idea what just happened.
“They are so fortunate in this case that the plane did not crash through the home and injure them, yes. We’re saying they are very lucky,” said Placer County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Angela Musallam.
For the nine homes on this small one lane road, Miracle Drive, the name says it all.
“Well I think it’s a miracle that nobody died. I hope that the pilot’s OK,” said Heinrich. “I’ve often said that it’s a miracle that I even live on Miracle Drive.”
The plane crashed near the Auburn Municipal Airport, but there’s no telling where the pilot was heading to or from or why the plane went down. The NTSB and FAA are both investigating.
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