A small twin-engine cargo plane has crashed into a home on Chicago's southwest side, killing the pilot but sparing a couple who were asleep just inches away.
The Aero Commander 500 slammed into the front of the home in the early hours of Tuesday, punching through the ground floor into the basement and leaving about a third of the mangled wreckage, including the tail, exposed outside.
"It's very lucky. They were in a bedroom next to the living room and the living room is gone," Assistant Chicago Fire Department Commissioner Michael Fox said of the home's two residents.
Both told emergency services they were fine and refused any medical attention.
Authorities did not immediately release the name of the pilot, who crews were trying to remove from the wreckage.
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No one else was on board.
The pilot, who was intending to fly to Columbus, Ohio, reported engine trouble shortly after taking off from Midway International Airport and asked to return to the airport.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating.
