Plane Crashes Into Nev. House, Killing 3

(CBS/ AP)  An experimental aircraft crashed into a house shortly after takeoff Friday, killing the pilot and two people inside the home, authorities said.

The pilot of the home-built plane radioed that he was in trouble shortly after taking off from the North Las Vegas Airport, said Ian Gregor, a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman in Hawthorne, Calif.

"He said he was unable to gain altitude and was going down," Gregor said.

Firefighters quickly doused an intense fire in the single-family home in a neighborhood southeast of a main runway at the airport.

The pilot and one resident of the house died in the 6:28 a.m. crash, and another person in the house died after being taken to University Medical Center in Las Vegas, said a deputy fire chief, Kevin Brame.

The names of the dead were not immediately released.

Gregor characterized the rear-propeller Velocity 173 RG aircraft as "experimental," and said it can be built from a kit. FAA records showed the aircraft was certified for flight in 2002, he said, and was owned by a Las Vegas resident. The name of the owner was not released.

FAA inspectors are enroute to the scene, reports CBS affiliate KLAS-TV. They will be investigating the accident along with the NTSB.

North Las Vegas Airport is the second-busiest airport in Nevada after McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas, according to the airport's Web site. It's a busy hub for small planes and jets, and serves as a base for sightseeing flights to the Grand Canyon and other attractions.

[tootall10142]

what a terrible way to go.When i die i want to go like my grandfather in my sleep.Not screaming like the people in the back seat!

[marcpcbs]

I am an ex Air Force Jet Mechanic. The problem that I have seen is that there are too many retired lawyers, police or executives that think they can build a plane so they buy a kit and make thousands of mistakes.

The number of kit planes falling out of the sky''s is bigger than you might think.

[dfwlexusguy]

Honestly though... How often do you hear of an experimental plane crash killing someone, versus hearing of a cessna, or a piper, md80 or boeing. Not often.

[toolmangler-2009]

Every time a craft leaves the ground, it''s an experiment. (Do I live this time or do I die?) Experimental planes must pass the same examinations that standard aircraft go through before they are licensed and allowed to take off to fly. Theres no such thing as ''Gravity'' the Earth sucks. what goes up usually comes down.

[andor3]

"Experimental airplanes should not be flown in populated areas"

all the "experimental" label means is that it was not produced by one of the big manufacturers. Most experimental planes are from kits so are well designed, proven, inspected. Most are safer than the beaters and 50 yr old general aviation fleet.

[hurtmorons]

Planes crash all the time, how come people still get in them and expect NOT to crash? How come planes arent made out of the same stuff nerf footballs are made out of? That plane would have bounced off that house.

[usclimey]

How many people died in (non-experimental) motor vehicle accidents today?

Posted by octavianfdlr

I bet very few died in their living rooms though.

[billc1947]

haoli.25. It would be a big loss if it was one of your relatives. What a jerk!!!!

[haoli25]

North Las Vegas? Oh, no big loss.

[lewiston14]

How many people died in (non-experimental) motor vehicle accidents today?

Posted by octavianfdlr

I WONT Argue that point. Even walking is a danger. Ask a woman and her kid that were walking across the street just up the road only to get killed by a speeding SUV