Pilot killed, Joliet home set ablaze when Wisconsin-bound plane crashes

A small plane crashed on a residential block in Joliet on Thursday morning, killing the pilot and setting a two-story house on fire, officials said.

First reports indicated the plane struck the house in the 1800 block of Hampton Court on the city's far west side, but a Joliet fire official said Thursday afternoon that authorities were not discounting that the plane may have struck the ground first, and flames from it ignited the house.

Ed Malinowski of the National Transportation Safety Board said the plane was a Piper PA-30.

The crash occurred at 11:14 a.m. Authorities don't think anyone else was on the plane based on a discussion with an employee of the pilot, Malinowski said. The pilot has not been identified.

Read more: http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/naperville-sun/news/ct-plane-crash-plainfield-joliet-20160721-story.html