On Monday, authorities found the wreckage of the plane scattered across four blocks as a result of an "unusual" accident that claimed the lives of five people Sunday in a Southern California neighborhood.

Witnesses told investigators at the National Transportation Safety Board that the small plane had emerged from a cloud in one piece before its tail and wings broke off, a spokesman said. from a press conference Monday. The Cessna had already begun to burn before hitting a house in Yorba Linda and igniting it.

Orange County authorities identified the deceased pilot as being Antonio Pastini, a retired police officer from Chicago. NTSB is currently investigating his medical history, flight experience, maintenance reports and ensuring that weather conditions such as lightning have affected the crash.

Pastini left the nearby Fullerton Municipal Airport at about 1:35 pm, the NTSB said. He flew about 10 miles before his plane started a fast descent. The authorities indicated that they did not know where the professional pilot was heading or how fast he was going.

Four people inside the house died in the fire that ensued, the NTSB said. The coroner's office uses DNA to identify both women and both men before informing their families.

Two other people at home were injured and taken to hospital. The sheriff's department told USA TODAY that additional people were in the house, but did not determine the number at the time of the investigation into the deceased.

While an airplane crashes on a house is "quite unusual" and constitutes a rare type of victim. Peter Knudson, spokesman for the NTSB, said they were performing. A small propeller plane crashed into two Connecticut homes in 2013, killing four people, including one year old and 13 years old inside the US. one of them. In 2017, a plane crashed into a San Diego home, causing two deaths.

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Investigators on Monday collected debris from 16 different homes, including the aircraft fuselage. They will bring all parts of the aircraft to a Phoenix facility for review.

Although recovering parts from a vast debris field was difficult, said the NTSB, many witnesses came forward. The pilot did not initiate a distress call and the NTSB indicated that he did not know whether he had attempted to land urgently elsewhere.

A preliminary report is expected to be released sometime next week, the NTSB said. A full investigation could take up to two years.

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