Woman Dies In L.A. Plane Crash

A small plane caught fire and crashed into a backyard shed on Saturday, setting the house afire and killing a woman, authorities said.

A man, possibly the pilot, was in critical condition with third-degree burns over 80 percent of his body, said Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey.

It was not known if the woman was in the plane or on the ground at the time of the crash, Humphrey said. Neither victim’s identity was immediately available. Both were 25 to 30 years old, Humphrey said.

The single-engine, vintage aircraft had taken off from Whiteman airport in Pacoima, a suburb north of Los Angeles, and was trying to return to the airport when it crashed shortly before 3 p.m., Humphrey said.

The plane struck a shed behind the house.

Jacqueline Marin, 12, said she and her brother, Lancer, 10, saw the crash.

“My brother screamed, ‘Jacquie, look at the plane! It looks like it’s on fire,”’ Jacqueline said.

The boy said he saw smoke coming from the aft section of the plane, which clipped trees in a neighboring yard before crashing into the shed.

He said he saw a man, apparently the pilot, lying on the backyard pavement. The man screamed, “On fire! On fire! Get the lady that’s inside!”

Before firefighters arrived, neighbors tried to douse flames that engulfed the plane. Firefighters and emergency personnel arrived shortly after, and the blaze was out in about 15 minutes, officials said.