Small Plane Crashes Into Empty House In California; 2 Women Dead

Two women who were on board a small plane were killed Tuesday after it crashed into an empty home in the hills of Northern California.

The flight instructor and owner of the plane, Mary Ellen Carlin of Pacific Grove, was flying the plane, while her 61-year-old friend Alice Diane Emig of Rancho Cordova and her dog Toby were on board, reported KSBW-TV. No one survived the crash, authorities told their families.

Carlin's son, David Carlin, said her mother was a "great pilot," and even though officials have not confirmed who was flying the plane, he did not doubt that she was the pilot at the time of the accident, reported Monterey Herald.

“My mom flew that plane for well over a decade,” David told Monterey Herald. “I want to make sure everyone knows that my mom was a great pilot. She spent tens of thousands of hours flying. She taught dozens of students over the years. She’s kind of a legend.”

Emig's mother, Sara Myers, told the Monterey County Weekly that Carlin had offered Emig a ride back to the Sacramento area as she had to attend a medical procedure her son was to undergo at UC Davis.

"She generously offered to fly her back for the appointment," Myers told the Weekly. "We played bridge on Monday, she agreed to come back on Tuesday and I loaded Diane and her dog into Mary Ellen's car and off to the airport they went. Unfortunately, something went terribly wrong."

The Monterey County Sheriff’s Department’s spokesperson, John Thornburg, said no bodies have been recovered from the wreckage yet, reported Associated Press. The Monterey County Coroner's Office has also not yet released the names of the victims.

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said Wednesday that a twin-engine Cessna 421 plane crashed into an empty home in a luxury gated community shortly after departing from Monterey Regional Airport. The crash occurred 5 miles from the city of Monterey.

The crash set the house ablaze, which spread to nearby bushes. Fire crews were able to get the flames under control.

"It's hard to come to terms with," said Myers, reported the Monterey County Weekly. "One day someone is here and perfectly well, and then all of a sudden, they're gone."

The investigation, led by the National Transportation Safety Board, is still ongoing, reported KSBW-TV.

Photo: Manfred Schmid/Getty Images