Pilot killed in small plane crash in Southern California neighborhood

LOS ANGELES - A small plane crashed into a residential neighborhood in Southern California on Saturday, killing the pilot, local authorities said.

The accident occurred around 1:51 pm (2051 GMT) near the 200 block of High Meadow Street in Simi Valley, Ventura County, about 64km northwest of Downtown Los Angeles, reported KABC-TV, the West Coast flagship station of the ABC network.

The US Federal Aviation Administration said that the pilot, who died at the scene, was the only person aboard the plane, according to CBS News.

"Officers located a single-engine airplane down in the backyard of a residence. There are no reported injuries on the ground," said the Simi Valley Police Department.

The fixed-wing aircraft crashed into two structures in the neighborhood, the Ventura County Fire Department said on social media platform X, adding that both structures caught fire and were damaged.

The police department said the road was closed and the public was advised to avoid the area.