Plane Crash in Simi Valley Kills Two, Damages Homes

A small plane crashed into a Simi Valley neighborhood on Saturday afternoon, killing two people and a dog, and severely damaging two homes. Miraculously, all residents on the ground escaped without injury.

The single-engine Van’s RV-10, a kit-built aircraft, slammed into the backyard and dining room of Arman Hovakemian’s home in the Wood Ranch area, about 50 miles northwest of Los Angeles. He and his wife ran to safety just moments before the crash. “We’re fortunate we were able to get out,” Hovakemian said.

Security footage captured the plane circling the hillside neighborhood for minutes before diving from the clouds and crashing. The wreckage landed between two houses, sparking a fire that 40 firefighters worked to extinguish.

The cause of the crash is under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board. Officials are reviewing the aircraft’s maintenance history, pilot records, and nearby surveillance video. A similar RV-10 crash in January killed two people in Fullerton.

Preliminary findings on the Simi Valley crash are expected in the coming weeks.