Pilot killed when small plane crashes into Simi Valley neighborhood

CBS News Live

CBS News Los Angeles Live

The aviator of a tiny level died erstwhile the craft crashed into 2 homes successful a Simi Valley vicinity Saturday day successful Ventura County, conscionable northbound of Los Angeles. There were nary reported injuries to radical connected the ground. 

The Federal Aviation Administration said successful a connection that the aviator was the lone occupant of the plane, a Vans RV-10, which had taken disconnected from William J. Fox Airfield successful Lancaster and was heading to Camarillo Airport.   

The clang occurred astatine astir 2:10 p.m. Pacific Time successful the 200 artifact of High Meadow Street adjacent Wood Ranch Parkway, according to the Simi Valley Police Department.

An aerial presumption of the country aft a tiny level crashed into a Simi Valley vicinity connected May 3, 2025. KCAL News

"The structures are some two-story, single-family homes that were impacted by occurrence and sustained structural damage," the Ventura County Fire Department said on X. "The occurrence has been knocked down and firefighters are moving connected overhaul and salvage operations."

Officials said the plane's pilot, whose sanction has not been released, died successful the crash. 

"Residents were wrong some homes astatine the clip of the incident, and were evacuated with nary reported injuries," firefighters said.

Police closed the country betwixt Wood Ranch Parkway and High Meadow Street arsenic the probe continued. The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating.

"After the wreckage is documented, it volition past beryllium moved to a unafraid installation for further evaluation," said a connection from the NTSB. They accidental that they volition beryllium investigating 3 factors successful the clang — the pilot, the craft and the operating environment. Their preliminary study is expected wrong 30 days, but the afloat study could instrumentality up to 2 years to beryllium completed. 

Video from the country posted to the Citizen app shows a ample beingness of constabulary and firefighter unit adjacent respective homes arsenic neighbors look on. 

Another video showed arsenic a ample plume of achromatic fume roseate from down respective homes arsenic neighbors rushed extracurricular pursuing the incident.