HOUSTON — A small plane crashed into the backyard of a house near Hobby Airport in Southeast Houston. The crash scene isn't far from Dobie 9th Grade Center on Monroe Blvd.
Thankfully, the four people on the plane weren't hurt and neither was anyone on the ground, according to the Houston Fire Department.
The plane took off from Hobby around 2:19 p.m. en route to San Antonio, according to the FAA. A couple of minutes later, the pilot told the tower, "We are having problems with our engine. Please turn back to the airport if possible."
The tower was trying to direct him back to Hobby, but the pilot replied, "We are not going to make it."
That was the last transmission before the crash.
The plane mowed down a fence but the pilot managed to bring it to a stop just a few yards from a couple of homes in the 8600 block of Heathglen Lane.
Lala Gonzalez said he was on his way home after picking his daughter up from school when a neighbor called and told him there was a little plane in his backyard.
"I come in here and the police they told me I can't go into my home, I need to wait," Gonzalez said. "They cut off the gas, the electricity, so I don't know until what time I can come in my home."
Sarahy Franco lives nearby.
"I heard this loud noise that sounded like a bomb. I thought it was a motorcycle that crashed cause it sounded so near," Franco said. "And then I hear my mom screaming. She was downstairs and thought something fell on me."
There were pieces of the plane scattered throughout the area and one of them landed near a Dobie ballfield.
You could see burn marks on the ground where the plane skidded after crashing.
Sparks from the plane caused a fire that spread to a nearby gazebo and fence.
From Air 11, a homeowner could be seen spraying the flames with a garden hose before fire trucks arrived. Firefighters were still on the scene putting out hot spots near the plane about an hour after the crash.
Hobby Airport identified the plane as a Cessna 421 C Golden Eagle. They said the crash did not affect operations at the airport.
The plane is registered in Mexico. Records show it had arrived at Hobby on Wednesday after departing Veracruz and stopping in McAllen, Texas. We weren't able to find out where the plane was headed today.
Federal investigators are headed to the crash scene.
Check back for updates on this developing story.