Two Dead After Plane Crashes Into Residence

On August 7, a twin-engine plane crashed into a western Pennsylvania house shortly after taking off, causing two people to suffer fatal personal injuries and narrowly missing a man sleeping on his couch with his dog. The accident also set the home on fire.

According to Westmoreland County, Pa. spokesman Dan Stevens, the plane went through the house and landed in the garage, passing just to the right of the sleeping man, when it came down in a rural area approximately 90 miles northeast of Pittsburgh.

The man, Steve Yanko, and his dog were able to escape the house, according to his wife, Rose Yanko, who was shopping at the flea market when the accident occurred. She said that they planned to stay with her mother.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the BE58 Beech Baron took off from Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Latrobe, Pa. shortly after 9 a.m. and crashed about 11 minutes later.

Stevens said the bodies of the deceased were recovered from the wreckage shortly after 3 p.m. after rescuers unearthed the plane from the collapsed garage. He said that it is believed there were only two people aboard the plane, but the search was continuing, as the tail section had not yet been uncovered in order to confirm the identification number.

Stevens said local officials believe they know the identities of the deceased, but would not release further information until the tail number could be confirmed.