DANBURY, Conn. — Two Danbury homeowners say they are still in shock after a plane crashed into their backyard Monday evening.
The pilot and passenger were able to escape the plane on their own with minor scrapes and bruises.
In the middle of a densely populated Danbury neighborhood sits houses, swimming pools, trees, and now, a mangled plane wrapped in a backyard shed.
Airport Administrator Mike Safranek said the crash happened when the pilot and student practiced “touch and go” maneuvers. This is a series of repetitive landings and take-offs. As they were practicing, something clearly went wrong, forcing the plane out of the sky.
“In my opinion, it looks like the hand of God picked them up and put them down safely for them to get out by themselves with minor cuts; it’s insane, they could’ve hit the power lines across the street, and all the obstacles, it’s incredible,” Safranek said.
The plane clipped Marisol Acevedo’s house, landing in a 20f foot gap between her and the neighbor’s home. Safranek said the aircraft was just mere inches from crashing through the side of these homes.
“It could’ve been a lot worse; they said they were lucky there wasn’t a fire or the plane didn’t ignite,” Acevedo said. “No passengers were trapped or loss of life; everything can be replaced – it’s all secondary.”
“It could’ve been a lot worse”; that’s the sentence we have heard over and over from those who have come to see the crash.
There is no word on what caused the crash, which will be investigated by the Federal Aviation Authority and released later on.
Safranek tells us they will likely wrap up the investigation Tuesday and then haul the plane pieces from the backyard. As for the homeowners, they say they probably won’t be flying any time soon.
Brooke Griffin is a reporter for FOX61 News. She can be reached at bgriffin@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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