BIG BEAR, Calif., Jan. 31 (UPI) -- The crash of a small plane into a house right after takeoff in California is being investigated by federal authorities.
It could take months before it is known why the twin-engine Piper Comanche struck a house in Big Bear Sunday morning, Ian Gregor of the Federal Aviation Administration told the Riverside Press-Enterprise.
The plane had taken off from Big Bear airport moments before and may have been trying to return because of a problem.
The plane crashed through the roof of one home, flipped onto its nose and came down between two houses. Fuel was leaking when firefighters arrived, the Big Bear City Fire Department said.
The pilot, who was in the plane alone and was not identified, was helicoptered to a hospital with a trauma center with moderate to severe injuries.
A person in the home, also not identified, sustained minor injuries, Gregor said.
The plane was registered to Tower General Contractors in the San Fernando Valley, FAA records show.
