VAN ZANDT COUNTY, Texas — The pilot of a small plane has been pronounced dead after their aircraft crashed into the side of a house in Van Zandt County on Tuesday evening, officials said.
According to the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), the Van Zandt County Sheriff's Office received a 911 call at around 6 p.m. reporting that a small plane had crashed into the side of a home on Private Road 7005, just off of Van Zandt County Road 3119.
Upon arriving at the scene, responders determined that no one was inside of the home at the time of the crash, according to DPS. Responders also determined that the pilot, who was later pronounced dead at a local hospital, was the sole occupant of the plane at the time of its crash, DPS said.
He was identified Wednesday afternoon as 60-year-old Roger D. Turner, of Edgewood, Texas.
Debris from the crash littered about 500 yards across the front yard.
“We saw tree limbs down and the aircraft and the emergency crews working to try to get him out of the plane, said Sen. Bob Hall who lives nearby and witnessed the aftermath.
DPS believes Rogers was coming from the Addison area and possibly missed his landing.
The crash site is located some 60 miles east of Dallas, about two miles north of Canton and just a few hundred feet removed from the main airstrip in an aviation-oriented community called Tailwind Airpark.
“It’s amazing there was no fire because there was a lot of fuel that was on the ground that was leaking,” said Hall.
Per DPS, the Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the cause of the crash, and agents with the National Transportation Safety Board will be at the scene on Wednesday to assist in the investigation.