Authorities respond to an aviation crash at a residential structure, possibly involving a helicopter, Sunday, July 8, 2018, in Williamsburg, Va. (Nickolas Oatley/The Daily Press via AP) (Associated Press) 
 
 Authorities respond to an aviation crash at a residential structure, possibly involving a helicopter, Sunday, July 8, 2018, in Williamsburg, Va. (Nickolas Oatley/The Daily Press via AP) (Associated Press) 
 
 WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (AP) — Authorities say at least one person was killed in a helicopter crash in a residential area in Virginia. 
 
 A 911 call came in Sunday before 5 p.m. about an aircraft crashing into a residential structure in Williamsburg near Settlement Drive, Virginia State Police said. The crash caused a fire at a townhouse, police said. 
 
 WAVY-TV cited dispatchers reporting that a helicopter had crashed. Neighbors told the Daily Press that they heard sounds resembling a helicopter crash. 
 
 The College of William and Mary in Williamsburg issued a tweet Sunday warning students of the crash and urging them to avoid the area around the school's Dillard Complex. 
 
 The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are also responding to the scene. 
 
 Peggy Weiss, who lives in the neighborhood, told the Daily Press she saw a small, rickety helicopter crash between two buildings. 
 
 Brook Sweeney, who lives across the street from a house on fire, told the newspaper the whole house shook when the crash occurred. "I just heard a loud 'bam' and the whole house was on fire," Sweeney said. 
 
 Donald Johnson told the newspaper he was 10 feet away from the crash when it struck his apartment building. "I was downstairs on the first floor when that thing hit and I had never heard a noise like that in my life. I just walked out and looked and got out, I was afraid it would blow up." ||||| Mechanical problem blamed for Oceana-based Hornet crash in Va. Beach 
 
 VIRGINIA BEACH -- The crew of an Oceana-based jet was injured when their F/A-18D Navy jet crashed just after take-off Friday afternoon. 
 
 The Navy confirms the F/A-18D Hornet from VFA-106 went down around 12:05 p.m. on nearby Birdneck Road and the plane struck the courtyard of Mayfair Mews apartments. It sparked a three-alarm fire. 
 
 Friday evening, Captain Mark Weisgerber with Strike Fighter Wing Atlantic said at a press conference that the plane went down because of a mechanical failure and that the dumping of fuel was not intentional. 
 
 Captain Weisgerber added that a fleet replacement pilot training on a new aircraft was in front and an experienced instructor pilot was in the back seat. They were forced to eject when their aircraft suffered a catastrophic mechanical malfunction shortly after takeoff. He said, as always, there will be a full investigation. He stated that both pilots were recovering and coherent. 
 
 A witness told 13News he saw the jet flying low, then heard loud pop, pop, pop sounds and then heard the crash. 
 
 Many others say they saw what appeared to be fuel being dumped before the plane went down. 
 
 Joanie Coleman, who lives at the complex, described the scene. 
 
 "The whole back yard was in flames and then things started to explode. I mean --- things just kept exploding and the black smoke just kept coming. I walked around the back and there were people there and they had the pilot. He fell onto someone’s patio. He was in shock and he apologized to the person who was trying to help him. He said 'I’m sorry I landed in your back yard.'" 
 
 Another witness was shocked to see the injured pilot on his porch. “I heard a couple of big bangs and they weren’t normal, so I got off the couch and went to the back door and I saw a pilot laying there, bleeding from the nose and his parachute hanging from the building. I knew exactly what happened a jet had crashed, I just didn’t know where until I saw the smoke. Then we had to get some neighbors to help carry the guy away from the building because we didn’t know if it was going to catch fire or not back in the parking lot. He said he had a pilot with him. We didn’t have time to go look for him. We didn’t know where he was.“ 
 
 "He apologized sincerely for hitting our complex. I told him don’t worry about it. You take care of yourself and we’ll take care of you," the resident stated. 
 
 One of the pilots was treated and released; the other was hospitalized, Sentara Va. Beach General Hospital officials said. 
 
 As a result of the mishap, NAS Oceana shut down flight operations. 
 
 The Navy says it will conduct limited flight operations at NAS Oceana about 9:00 a.m. to recover eight jets that diverted to NAS Chambers Field in Norfolk and to launch eight aircraft that need to depart from NAS Oceana for other destinations. 
 
 Once those operations are completed, NAS Oceana will shut down for the remainder of the weekend and begin flight operations again as scheduled on Monday morning. 
 
 VFA-106 serves as the East Coast Fleet Replacement Squadron. Its mission is to train Navy and Marine Corps F/A-18 Replacement Pilots and Weapon Systems Officers to support fleet commitments. 
 
 Adm. John C. Harvey, Jr., commander, U.S. Fleet Forces, said, "We will conduct a complete investigation into the cause of this mishap and share all information we have as soon as we are able to do so." 
 
 Gov. Bob McDonnell promised immediate help for those impacted by the crash.
– At least one person was killed in a helicopter crash in a residential area in Virginia, authorities say. A 911 call came in Sunday before 5pm about an aircraft crashing into a residential structure in Williamsburg near Settlement Drive, Virginia State Police say. The crash caused a massive fire at a townhouse complex, police say. Neighbors tell the Daily Press that they heard sounds resembling a helicopter crash. The College of William and Mary in Williamsburg issued a tweet Sunday warning students of the crash and urging them to avoid the area around the school's Dillard Complex, the AP reports. Peggy Weiss, who lives in the neighborhood, tells the Daily Press she saw a small, rickety helicopter crash between two buildings. Brook Sweeney, who lives across the street from a house on fire, says the whole house shook when the crash occurred. "I just heard a loud 'bam' and the whole house was on fire," Sweeney says. Donald Johnson tells the newspaper he was 10 feet away from the crash when it struck his apartment building. "I was downstairs on the first floor when that thing hit and I had never heard a noise like that in my life. I just walked out and looked and got out, I was afraid it would blow up." The FAA tweeted late Sunday that the pilot was the only person on board the R44 helicopter.