Three of the five people who were aboard a small plane when it crashed into a neighborhood in Riverside have died, in a crash that occurred shortly after the craft took off Monday afternoon. Residents were not at home when the plane hit one house. Fire destroyed another.
The survivors -- two women in their late 30s or early 40s -- were ejected from the plane and into the house, leading to initial confusion over whether they lived there or not, Riverside Fire Chief Michael Moore said late Monday.
The group was from the San Jose area and had attended a weekend cheerleading competition at Disneyland, officials said. Their plane went down only about a mile from its takeoff at Riverside Municipal Airport. Their identities have not been released.
The plane crashed into the homes around 4:40 p.m. local time, Moore said. Firefighters who responded to the scene quickly located the survivors, and one of them was able to tell them that there were more people on board the plane.