LYON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WXYZ) — Three people are dead after a plane crashed into a home in Lyon Township in Oakland County.
RELATED: Family killed in Lyon Township plane crash identified
Neighbors watched in disbelief as a small plane fell from the sky, causing the home to go up in flames.
“There was a huge cloud of smoke, like really tall flames," said neighbor Chase Southwick. "We thought the whole house was going to be gone.”
The family was inside the home at the time but escaped with no injuries. The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office confirms 3 people on board the plane are believed to have died.
“Again, that is believed to be," said Captain Melissa Mcclellan with the Oakland County Sheriff's Office. "This is still an active and ongoing investigation.”
The FAA is now investigating the cause, and according to the flight tracker Flight Aware, the plane was coming from Georgia. Neighbors say they heard the plane circling overhead before it crashed.
“It was kinda buzzing low," Southwick said. "It was kind of circling a bit then we heard this explosion.”
The neighborhood is right next door to an airport, and those who live here say hot air balloons and even paragliders have crashed here before, and planes are always close by.
“It's always been my biggest fear," said neighbor Eric Mullen. "With the airport being there I knew one of these days one of those planes would have to go down for whatever reason.”
Their biggest fear was now unfolding in front of their own eyes. Hearing the tragic news that 3 lives were lost, while knowing it could have been worse.
“If it had just gone a little bit farther," wondered Southwick. "I have two siblings who are under 2 years old and they were upstairs sleeping. They were taking naps. So you worry, could this happen to us?”
Officials have not yet released the names of the victims. The investigation is ongoing.
