Transcript for 5 killed when small plane crashes into California home
And we begin tonight with new images of the deadly plane crash in California. Authorities revealing new details about the five people killed when that plane slammed into a home just after takeoff. Dash cam video shows the final moments, the plane bursting into flames in midair, then crashing into that neighborhood. The pilot and four people inside the home were killed, as they were holding a super bowl party. The pilot’s identity revealed just a short time ago, and ABC’s chief national correspondent Matt Gutman leading us off. Reporter: Tonight, those new images, that plane bursting like a meteoroid above southern California. Look closely. You can see it was in free-fall before erupting in flames. Investigators now saying witnesses report seeing the tail and wings break off. Residents ducking plane parts raining down on their neighborhood. Whoa. I looked up and I just see debris flying everywhere. And part of the plane flew down into the garage like a torpedo and just hit the garage and blew up. Reporter: One piece of exploding debris from the twin engine Cessna smashed I home. The flames dozens of feet high. It went up so fast, there was nothing you could do. Reporter: This man trying to put out a fire with a gardening hose. Multiple homes damaged from the wreckage, propellers scattered on lawns. Windows shattered. In this video, you can hear the debris still popping off. With folks yelling, “Get back.” Five people killed in the crash. The pilot, a retired Chicago police officer and those four family members inside that home, they were all attending a super bowl party. And David, one challenge for investigators here is going to be the scale of the debris field. It covered four blocks, at least 15 homes were hit by flying debris from that plane. And one of the factors that I’m told investigators will certainly examine is the weather. There were thunderstorms and heavy rain showers in the area at the time of the crash. David? All right, Matt Gutman leading us off tonight. Thank you.
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
