2 dead after plane crashes into Monterey home, sparks brush fire
MONTEREY, Calif. (KGO) -- Two people are dead after a twin-engine plane crashed into a home near the Monterey Regional Airport Tuesday morning, officials say.
Fire officials say the home is located on Monterra Ranch road, near Highway 68 and about 1 mile from the airport.
RELATED: 56-year-old Northern California plane wreckage mystery may finally be solved at Folsom Lake
Officials say the crash happened just after 10:40 a.m.
While officials have not yet provided details about what caused the plane to crash, radio transmissions from air traffic control right before the crash shed some light on a possible cause.
Just after 10:40 a.m., the air traffic controller can be heard telling a plane about a 'low altitude warning' and instructing the pilot to climb to 5,000 feet.
The pilot does not respond to this call prompting the controller to ask, "Are you having an in-flight emergency?"
Moments later the same controller puts out a call that they could have a plane down.
Radio calls from the Monterey County Fire Department say that they received multiple calls about an explosion in the area where the plane went down, but that it was not clear if it was from the impact of the crash or something else.
Video from SKY7 shows debris from the plane scattered hundreds of feet away from the crash site.
Officials have not yet confirmed the status of the pilot.
The crash sparked a fire that spread into nearby brush, according to fire officials.
RELATED: 75 years later, here's what we know about a mysterious Cold War plane crash in Marin Co.
The owner of the home confirmed to ABC7 News that their daughter was staying at the house at the time of the crash, but was not inside the home at the time.
The 4,470 square foot home on Monterra Ranch Road was just purchased by its current owner in Sept. 2020 for $3.1 million, according to recent real estate records.
The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will be investigating the incident with the NTSB in charge.
This is developing, check back for updates.
