2 killed, 4 injured as plane crashes into homes

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A small plane crashed into two homes Tuesday in Sanford, Florida, near Orlando, killing the pilot and the passenger on the aircraft and injuring four people, three of whom were critically burned, authorities said.

The two dead were believed to be the only people on the plane, Sanford Fire Department investigator Matt Minnetto told reporters.

The twin-engine Cessna 310, registered to Competitor Liaison Bureau, had taken off from Daytona Beach and was headed to Lakeland, Florida, when it declared an emergency with smoke in the cockpit and attempted to land at Orlando-Sanford International Airport, said FAA spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen.

Instead, the plane crashed about five miles from the airport in a neighborhood called The Preserve at Lake Monroe.

The three people critically injured were a 10-year-old boy who had third-degree burns over 80 to 90 percent of his body, and two adults who suffered serious burns, Minnetto told CNN. They were airlifted to Orlando Regional Medical Center, authorities said.

One firefighter also was hurt, according to Seminole County Fire Department Lt. Paula Richie.

The Orlando-Sanford International Airport control tower got a call at 8:35 a.m. about an Alert 1, which means an aircraft is in trouble, said airport spokeswoman Diane Cruz.

One minute later, the warning was raised to Alert 3, meaning a crash is imminent or occurring, Cruz said.

Smoke rises from homes hit by a small plane in Sanford, Florida, on Tuesday.

CNN Source