Small plane crashes into Chicago home

CHICAGO - A small twin-engine cargo plane crashed into a home Thursday on Chicago's southwest side, plunging into the basement but leaving the bungalow's two residents unhurt.

The pilot was believed to have been killed in the crash, reports CBS Chicago.

Hours after the crash, Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford said crews were waiting for federal accident investigators to complete their work before trying to move the aircraft or reach the pilot.

The Aero Commander 500 slammed into the front of the home and crashed through the ground floor into the basement, leaving only the tail exposed outside.

There was no fire or explosion, Langford said. The residents of the home that was struck told first responders they were fine and refused medical attention, he said.

The plane crashed at about 2:40 a.m. Tuesday shortly after taking off from Midway International Airport. It was headed to Ohio State University Airport in Columbus, Ohio.

The pilot reported engine trouble and asked to return to Midway, but crashed about a quarter mile short of the runway, said Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating.

Midway is closely bounded by densely populated neighborhoods.

The elderly couple who lives in the home was not injured, according to their son, Rick Rolinskas.

"They're okay. She's a little confused right now," he told CBS Chicago. "All the neighbors have been real nice to us. We're just trying to get all the valuables out, and clothes, and get organized, and see where we've got to go from here."

Rolinskas said his parents, Roberta and Ray, have lived in the home for 55 years. It's where he grew up.

"Sad to say, she always wanted to remodel the house," "It's not the way to do it. I just feel so bad for the pilot, and the family. It's a terrible thing."

Fire Department Deputy District Chief Jim Mungovan said the couple's bedroom was not damaged in the crash.

"They were able to walk out the back of the house unscathed," he said.

Those living near the crash site said the impact shook houses.

"It wasn't a big boom noise," Robin Vrablic told CBS Chicago. "It just shook the ground, and the chandelier had shaken, or something, so we went out the front, and went down there, and I was astounded that it took the whole front of that house out."

Two homes next door to the crash site were evacuated as a precaution.

The aircraft was built in 1964 and owned by Central Airlines, Inc. of Fairway, Kansas. The company said only that it was cooperating with investigators.