Zeenews Bureau
South Bend: Two people were killed on Sunday when the plan in which they were travelling suffered a technical fault and reportedly crashed in northern Indiana neighborhood. The condition of one of the three injured is stated to be critical.
At least three houses were also damaged in the crash, as per a news agency report.
The jet had left Tulsa, Okla`s Riverside Airport and crashed late Sunday afternoon near South Bend Regional Airport, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Roland Herwig in Oklahoma City said.
South Bend Memorial Hospital spokeswoman Maggie Scroope said three people injured in the crash were being treated there; one was in serious condition and two were in fair condition.
The plane was registered to 7700 Enterprises of Montana LLC in Helena, Mont. The company is owned by Wes Caves and does business as DigiCut Systems in Tulsa, Okla. It makes window film and paint overlay for automobiles.
A woman identifying herself as Caves` wife answered the phone at their home Sunday and said, "I think he`s dead," before hanging up.
Although authorities believe everyone was accounted for, Corthier said firefighters still want to search a heavily damaged home.
"I believe they said they`re going to have to tear down a portion of the house to make it stable. That probably won`t happen until (Monday)," he said.
Part of the neighborhood southwest of the airport was evacuated after the crash and electricity was cut off to part of the neighborhood.
Mike Daigle, executive director of the St. Joseph County Airport Authority, said the jet attempted a landing about 4:15 p.m., went back up and maneuvered south to try another landing, but eight minutes later the airport learned the plane was no longer airborne.
"There was an indication of a mechanical problem," Herwig said.
