Small jet hits 3 Indiana homes, killing 2

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SOUTH BEND, Ind., March 17 (UPI) -- A small jet trying to land in South Bend, Ind., Sunday afternoon crashed into three nearby homes, killing at least two people, authorities said.

Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Roland Herwig confirmed two of the four people aboard the jet died, WSBT-TV and the South Bend Tribune reported. Two people were hospitalized in fair condition and one in serious condition, the news outlets said.

South Bend fire officials said the Beechcraft Premier 1 with tail number N26DK out of Tulsa, Okla., touched down on a South Bend airport runway about 4:30 p.m. local time, then started to climb again before crashing.

The FAA said the pilot had reported a problem with electrical power as the aircraft approached the airport, WSBT-TV and the Tribune said.

One resident, Stan Klaybor, said the plane clipped the top of one house, heavily damaged a second and wound up against a third.

A South Bend fire official said efforts to find survivors was made dangerous because of jet fuel that leaked and structural damage to the house where the plane stopped.