2 people, 1 dog killed in small plane crash in Simi Valley

A small plane crashed into a residential area of Simi Valley on Saturday afternoon, authorities said, killing two people and a canine onboard, and damaging two homes.

The Federal Aviation Administration said the plane was a Vans RV-10, a fixed-wing single-engine aircraft that is sold in kit form and is typically home-built.

The plane departed from William J. Fox Airfield in Lancaster and was traveling to Camarillo Airport when it crashed in Simi Valley, according to the FAA. The agency initially said the plane carried only the pilot, but police on Saturday evening said two people died as well as a canine that was in the plane.

The identities of the victims were not released.

The incident happened around 2 p.m. on the 200 block of High Meadow Street in the Wood Ranch area of Simi Valley. The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will investigate.

The plane crashed in the backyard and dining room of Arman and Armineh Hovakemian. Arman Hovakemian said he was doing yard work when he noticed the plane above, circling lower and lower in the hillside neighborhood.

Fearful that the plane was spiraling toward his home, he ran inside to get his wife and their Pomeranian dog, Koko. A loud bang followed and the fuselage landed where he had stood in the yard, he said.

Firefighters work at the site of the plane crash.

(Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

The smell of gas filled the air and the side of their home caught fire, he said, causing the couple to flee as neighbors called 911.

“I’m overwhelmed,” Arman Hovakemian said, standing in the street as dozens of firefighters and police officers surrounded his home. A light rain misted the street as neighbors watched a fire truck with a ladder hoisted over Hovakemian’s residence.

“I’m numb. It hasn’t sunk in yet,” he said. “We’re fortunate we were able to get out.”

The plane’s movements just before the crash alarmed some residents. In security video taken by a neighbor that was viewed by the Times, the plane can be heard circling the neighborhood for nearly three minutes and flying close to homes at points. In another video, the plane can be seen shooting straight up into the clouds then dropping down again.

The other home damaged by the plane belongs to P.J. Van Kralingen and his wife, Iris. The couple were at the Getty Center when they got a text about the crash.

Two of their three dogs somehow escaped the home during the incident and are still missing, said P.J. Van Kralingen, standing in the street.

Still, he expressed gratitude that no one was home at the time. The plane shattered windows in their family room, which is where his wife’s parents, who live with the couple, usually sit.

“It’s a little bit unsettling,” he said. He said officials told him he couldn’t enter the home for at least 24 hours because NTSB needs to come to the site.

Queenie Wong contributed to this report.