Feb. 12, 2006, 7:51PM
Small plane crashes into home in Calif., killing at least 2

By DON THOMPSON
Associated Press

ROSEVILLE, Calif. - A single-engine plane that appeared to have been
performing an aerobatic stunt lost control and crashed into a suburban
home today, killing at least two people and sparking a fire that gutted
the house, police said.

The crash left a gaping, smoldering hole in the two-story house it
directly hit and set fire to an adjacent house, damaging the garage and
attic, said Roseville Fire Marshall Dennis Mathisen. One body was
visible in the wreckage.

The Federal Aviation Administration reported two deaths, including the
pilot, and said two people were missing in the home.

T. Sinclair, a deputy sheriff and deputy coroner, said two people were
in the plane. He added that although no one could have survived, the
FAA was not letting emergency officials into the house to retrieve
bodies until Monday.

One resident of the house was missing, but it was unclear whether he
had been in the house at the time, Sinclair said.

The plane - which the FAA identified as a 1996 Glasair II -
appeared to be doing an aerobatic maneuver when it crashed just before
11:30 a.m., Roseville Police spokeswoman Dee Dee Gunther said.

"The pilot appeared to be coming down low for some kind of maneuver
that brought him to within 500 feet of the rooftops," she said. "And
then he appeared to lose control and crashed into one of the houses."

Rick Wurster, who lives about a half mile from the crash, saw the plane
attempting to make a figure eight.

"He couldn't pull up because he didn't have enough altitude," Wurster
said. "I saw him do two spins and then go over the tree line. A second
later, I heard two booms."

The pilot wasn't communicating with air traffic controllers at the time
of the crash, Gunther said.

The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash,
which also set fire to two neighboring homes, said Bruce Nelson, an
operations officer for the FAA in Los Angeles.

"The main house has substantial damage but the other two, their damage
isn't going to be as much," he said.

Roseville is about 16 miles northeast of Sacramento.