Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Footage shows damage caused to properties in California after impact of plane crash

Three people were killed and two others injured when a small plane crashed and burst into flames in a residential area in California, officials said.

A married couple and three teenagers were on board the flight, which had just taken off from Riverside airport on Monday.

They were returning home to San Jose following a cheerleading event at the Disneyland theme park.

The identities of the victims have not been released.

Residents of the two homes hit by the plane have been accounted for.

One of the teenagers, a girl, was thrown from the back seat of the light aircraft but suffered only minor injuries, Riverside fire chief Michael Moore said.

"Upon impact, the plane pretty much split apart, and luckily she was ejected," he said.

The girl managed to crawl to safety from the wreckage of the house and ask for help. She was later able to talk to firefighters about what had happened before she was taken to hospital, Mr Moore added.

Image copyright AP Image caption One of the passengers was thrown from the plane but suffered only minor injuries, officials said

Image copyright AP Image caption The two homes hit by the plane were badly damaged

One witness said that the plane's wings were "nearly perpendicular to the ground" moments before it "went into a nosedive" and crashed into the two homes, AP news agency reports.

Firefighters pulled another passenger from one of the burning properties. The victim was unconscious and said to be in a San Bernardino hospital in critical condition.

Three bodies, all from the plane, were found in the wreckage of the aircraft and the homes.

The plane, which broke up on impact, was still burning several hours after the crash because of the fuel it was carrying.</s>RIVERSIDE, Calif. – Three people were killed and two injured Monday when a small plane crashed into a residential neighborhood in Riverside, California, said the city’s Fire Chief Michael Moore.

Previously, he had said that four people had died when the plane crashed near Riverside Municipal Airport. After further investigation, Moore announced late Monday in a news conference that the death toll was now three.

A Cessna 310 crashed about a half-mile northeast of the Riverside Municipal Airport, according to Ian Gregor, a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman. It had departed from Riverside en route to San Jose.

The plane had five people on board, and split apart when it hit two Riverside homes, Moore said.

There were no victims on the ground or inside the homes, the fire chief said. But he added that they would do a secondary check Tuesday morning.

Of the five people on the plane, three had died and two were injured, the fire chief said.

One of the passengers was taken to the Riverside Community Hospital and another to the Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton, Moore said. Both are women, he said, correcting previous information that one of the survivors had been a teenager.

Earlier in the evening, Moore had said one of the victims had been a resident, but later clarified that no one on the ground died. The fire chief said the people on the plane “were injected into the house” when the plane hit.

Moore said the pilot did not appear to be among the survivors.

The National Transportation Safety Board will continue its investigation in the morning, Moore said.

The people on the plane had been in Southern California for a cheerleading competition at Disneyland, and were heading back to San Jose, he said.

“It’s horrible, coupled together that they were going to a cheer competition,” Moore said. “This is supposedly a happy time and then just to have a tragic incident like this, and into one of these Riverside residences, it’s really a sad case for us.”

The block was evacuated, sending residents from about 20 homes to a shelter.

The aircraft had a full tank of fuel, causing the fire to burn. Investigators also want to assess the neighborhood in case of dropped plane parts, as debris scattered in the impact. The impact of the plane obliterated the two houses into burnt

The crash occurred around 4:41 p.m. PT (7:41 p.m. ET) on Central and Streeter avenues, Lt. Charles Payne of the Riverside City Police Department said.

Witness Brian Marsh told KTLA he saw the plane fall from the sky while driving.

"As soon as it turned, it almost stalled," Marsh said. "It just turned and went straight toward the ground. It looked like they tried to pull out of it, but it was too late."

Traci Zamora who lives in the neighborhood, heard the crash.

"I was inside the house and it shook our whole house like an earthquake," she told CNN over Facebook. "It is all so surreal."

Another resident, Chloe Hirohata told CNN in an email, "I heard an explosion, witnessed a large plume of smoke coming from the scene and rushed over."

Riverside is about 54 miles southeast of Los Angeles.</s>RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Four people were killed Monday when a small plane crashed into a residential neighborhood on Monday in Riverside, California, authorities said.

The Cessna 310 crashed about a half-mile northeast of the Riverside Municipal Airport, according to Ian Gregor, a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman. It had departed from Riverside en route to San Jose.

Riverside Fire Chief Michael Moore said the plane, which had five people on board, split apart when it hit the two homes, which reportedly had residents.

“We’re unable to determine if they were victims from the residence or from the aircraft itself,” Moore said.

Moore said the passengers on the plane were in Southern California for a chee leading competition, and were heading back to San Jose.

Two adults and three teenagers were aboard the plane. The plane’s occupants are a family, he said.

One passenger, a teenager was ejected from the plane. She was being treated at Riverside community Hospital for minor injuries.

The crash occurred around 4:41 p.m. PT (7:41 p.m. ET) on Central and Streeter avenues, Lt. Charles Payne of the Riverside City Police Department said.

“I heard an explosion, witnessed a large plume of smoke coming from the scene and rushed over,” Chloe Hirohata, who lives nearby, told CNN in an email.

She added: “I did not know the people that lived in the house, sadly.”

Authorities are investigating the cause of the crash.

Riverside is located about 54 miles southeast of Los Angeles.</s>A small plane crashed into two homes in Riverside on Monday, causing a fire in the residential neighborhood.

There were no details on injuries, but footage from KABC-TV showed paramedics tending to at least one person on the ground. At least one home was engulfed in flames.

The plane crashed near Central and Streeter avenues, about a mile from Riverside Airport, at about 4:41 p.m., said Lt. Charles Payne of the Riverside Police Department.

About 30 people were evacuated from nearby homes to Nichols Park, Payne said.

Officials told the Riverside Press-Enterprise the plane was going from Riverside to San Jose.</s>KABC-TV(RIVERSIDE, Calif.) — At least four people are dead and one hospitalized after a small plane crashed into two homes in Riverside, California, according to officials.

Riverside Fire Chief Michael Moore said officials are actively searching for more victims and the two homes were destroyed.

The Federal Aviation Administration said the Cessna 310 crashed under unknown circumstances about a half-mile northeast of Riverside Municipal Airport. The plane was headed to San Jose from Riverside, according to the FAA.

The people on board the plane were coming from a cheer conference, Moore said.

Shannon Flores, a teacher at a nearby school in Riverside, told ABC affiliate KABC-TV she and her students saw the plane from their building.

“It was just flying very, very low,” she said. “We knew it shouldn’t have been flying that low and that it was definitely going down.”</s>KABC-TV(RIVERSIDE, Calif.) — At least one person is dead and five others hospitalized after a small plane crashed into two homes in Riverside, California, according to officials.

Riverside Fire Department Capt. Tyler Reynolds told ABC affiliate KABC-TV two victims were from the homes and four of the other victims were onboard the plane.

The Federal Aviation Administration said the Cessna 310 crashed under unknown circumstances about a half-mile northeast of Riverside Municipal Airport. The plane was headed to San Jose from Riverside, according to the FAA.

Officials are now investigating the crash and using thermal imaging to look for additional victims.

Shannon Flores, a teacher at a nearby school in Riverside, told KABC-TV she and her students saw the plane from their building.

“It was just flying very, very low,” she said. “We knew it shouldn’t have been flying that low and that it was definitely going down.”</s>LOS ANGELES — One person was killed when a small plane carrying four people crashed into a home Monday in Riverside, California, authorities told NBC News.

At least five other people were injured, fire officials told NBC Los Angeles. In addition to the four people on the plane, two others were in an adjoining house, said Tyler Reynolds, a spokesman for the Riverside Fire Department.

It couldn't immediately be determined whether the person who was killed was on the plane or in the neighboring house when the Cessna 310 smashed into the home about 5 p.m. PT (8 p.m. ET). The crash set the home ablaze and sent thick, choking smoke billowing into the sky.

The plane had just taken off from Riverside Municipal Airport headed for San Jose, California, when it went down about a half-mile northeast of the airport, which is about 60 miles east of Los Angeles, said Ian Gregor, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration.

"I live only a block away. I was just looking outside my window and saw a green plane, and it was going really fast, and then it fell to the ground and exploded," Elizabeth Espinoza, 20, who lives near the scene, told NBC News.

"There was no way it was able to pull up, the way it was dropping," Espinoza said. "It was like — I don't know how to describe it — just so fast that you wouldn't imagine. It was a big crash and then a boom. ...

"We felt the ground shake once it hit," she said.

No further details were immediately available.

This is a developing story. Refresh this page for updates.</s>RIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP) — Officials say a small plane has crashed into two homes in Riverside.

The Federal Aviation Administration says the Cessna 310 aircraft crashed Monday evening shortly after taking off from Riverside Municipal Airport.

FAA spokesman Ian Gregor says the plane was headed for San Jose when it crashed about a half-mile northeast of the Riverside airport.

Riverside Police Lt. Charles Payne says the plane crashed into a residential neighborhood and collided with two homes.

Video from a news helicopter showed plane wreckage and at least one home engulfed in flames near the intersection of Central and Streeter Avenue. The video also appeared to show a person being loaded onto a stretcher and removed from the home.

Payne says residents in nearby homes were being evacuated and taken to a community center.

Check with KTLA for the latest</s>A Cessna 310 like this one pictured crashed into a Riverside home with four on board, authorities said.

- Four people were killed and at least two people were hurt when a small plane crashed into two homes Monday evening in Riverside, authorities said.

Authorities said the death toll could grow after the crash.

The Cessna 310 aircraft crashed shortly after taking off from Riverside Municipal Airport, the Federal Aviation Administration said. The plane was headed for San Jose when it crashed about a half-mile northeast of the Riverside airport, FAA spokesman Ian Gregor said.

The plane came down into a residential neighborhood and collided with two homes near the intersection of Dewey Avenue and Rhonda Road. Video from SkyFOX showed at least one of the homes appeared to be completely destroyed, engulfed in flames and littered with debris from the plane.

During a press conference Monday evening, a Riverside firefighter said a family of five from San Jose were on the plane and had traveled to Southern California to attend a cheerleading camp at Disneyland before the incident occurred.

Authorities said one person on the plane survived the crash but was rushed for medical treatment at a local hospital.

Police said approximately 30 residents in nearby homes were being evacuated and taken to a community center at Nichols Park.

Copyright 2017 FOX 11 Los Angeles: Download our mobile app for breaking news alerts or to watch FOX 11 News | Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. Be a citizen journalist for FOX 11 and get paid – download the Fresco News App today.</s>RIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP) — Fire captain says 1 dead, 5 injured after small plane crashes into 2 houses in Southern California.
A small plane crashes in a residential area of Riverside, California, killing at least three people, all of whom were passengers on the plane. No one on the ground was injured.