BREAKING NEWS: Pilot dies after plane crashes into Melbourne homes
- Light plane crashed into a home in Chelsea, 30km south-east of Melbourne
- Police have confirmed that a male pilot died at the scene
- A woman in a house at the time has escaped with minor injuries
- Police believe the single engine aircraft could have been 'homemade'
- Plane struck a house and damaged two vehicles and caught fire on impact
- A witness said pilot may have been trying to make an emergency landing
- Police urged people not to touch any of the scattered debris
A male pilot has died after a light plane he was flying crashed into a home in Melbourne's south-east.
Police believe the single-engine light aircraft could have been 'homemade' as pieces of debris have been found along the foreshore - south of the crash near The Strand in Chelsea at about 1.30pm on Tuesday.
Witnesses told police they heard the plane's engine 'stall' just before it began to plummeted out of the sky from what is believed to be a low height.
The pilot has been praised as 'brave' for his efforts to navigate the plane away from the nearby busy shopping district and a children's playground before eventually colliding with the side of a house which caused the blaze.
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The suburban streets are strewn with plane parts, hours after the light aircraft crashed into a home, killing the plane's pilot
Resident William Nebert whose house was one of those impacted in the suburb of Chelsea. Mr Nebert's wife was inside when the light aircraft crashed into their family home
The plane crashed into the home of resident William Nerbert (right, pictured with his son on left), whose wife was inside the house at the time of the horrific incident
Four Country Fire Authority trucks managed to get the blaze under control in Chelsea in Melbourne's south-east after the plane crashed at 1.30pm on Tuesday
Wreckage is strewn across the beachside street, following the horrific plane crash which killed the pilot
Witnesses watch on as the fire is still ablaze from the plane crash alongside the laneway near The Strand
Houses have been damaged (pictured) by plane debris after the aircraft crashed into a Melbourne home at 1.30pm on Tuesday
A witness said the pilot may have been trying to make an emergency landing
Andrew Delaney, from the Country Fire Authority, said the pilot appeared to have bravely directed his plane away from a nearby busy shopping strip and children's park.
'(It's a) very brave, very brave activity that he conducted,' he said.
'If you have a look he's missed the power lines so he's done a very good job and missed houses really.'
'He's just collected a bit of the fence and pretty much guided his plane down the laneway.'
Mr Delaney said the plane's fuel caused the fire that lit up the fence and also set part of the house on fire.
Inspector Janine Denton has urged members of the public not to touch any of the debris that has been strewn throughout the area.
Police believe they know the identity of the deceased pilot but it is yet to be confirmed.
A woman, who was in one of the houses at the time of the crash, has escaped with minor injuries.
The plane struck a house and damaged two vehicles while erupting into flames on impact.
Four Country Fire Authority trucks arrived and managed to get the blaze under control.
Debris from the plane has been found south along the foreshore following the incident
Members of the public are urged not to touch any of the debris that has been strewn throughout the area
Inspector Janine Denton said the situation could have been much worse with the crash happening close to a busy shopping district
One man said he saw a burst of flames when the plane crashed.
'There was a mass of flames coming out, a mass of smoke - black - coming from it,' he told Fairfax Radio.
The pilot may have been trying to make an emergency landing, another witness said.
Witness Ashleigh Benson saw the light plane drop steeply in a 'nosedive' before it crashed.
'This big thing of smoke came out, you could see it from about 10 minutes up the road,' Ms Benson said.
Megan Johnston was working in her office when she heard the plane go down.
'I heard the plane engine starting to splutter and it sounded very close,' Ms Johnston told AAP.
'Then I obviously heard a massive explosion.'
She ran around the corner to see an elderly woman standing in shock outside her house, which was starting to catch on fire.
People gather at the suburb of Chelsea in the wake of the shock crash which left a man dead
Disbelief is etched on the faces of people at the scene of the crash. Police urge members of the public to not touch any of the debris that has is lying on the ground, littered throughout the suburb
Billows of smoke and pieces of debris from the plane filled the streets in Chelsea
Police are fairly certain of the identity of the deceased pilot but need to confirm with the family
John Kovac wasn't too sure at first what he had seen witnessed
Mr Kovac took photos and then realised it was in fact a plane crashing into a back shed
A woman, who was in the house at the time of the light plane crash, is being treated for minor injuries
The plane struck a house and damaged two vehicles and caught fire on impact
Another witness expressed their disbelief about seeing the plane collide near a laneway
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2791823/light-plane-crashes-home-melbourne-reportedly-killing-one.html#ixzz3G79xkwII
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