Legal news for California aviation accident attorneys. A small plane crash in an East Palo Alto neighborhood killed three people.

FAA investigating a twin engine Cessna plane crash in a East Palo Alto residential neighborhood.

Ontario, CA—Three people were killed after a small plane crashed into a residential neighborhood in East Palo Alto. The small plane crashed on Wednesday morning, February 17, 2010 around 7:55 a.m., on the 1200 block of Beech Street near Pulgas Avenue, as reported by the San Francisco Chronicle.

The twin-engine Cessna 310 plane reportedly took off from Palo Alto Airport, about a mile to the southwest from where the plane crashed, and was initially headed for Hawthorne Municipal Airport in Los Angeles County. It is currently unknown what prompted the crash, but reports indicated that the plane might have hit an electrical tower or wires on takeoff. Thick fog was also reported in the area. A wing of the plane apparently separated from the plane and hit the back of a house that operated as a day-care center. One child was inside the house at the time, but luckily no one was injured. There were also no reported injuries on the street. The rest of the plane, including the fuselage, crashed into two pickup trucks that were in the street. The wreckage immediately caught fire and engulfed the wreckage and the trucks. Firefighters rushed to the scene and managed to extinguish the flames within 20 to 30 minutes. All three occupants inside the plane were killed. Officials have not released their identities at this time.

The plane was reportedly owned by Doug Bourn, who was a senior electrical engineer at Tesla. It is currently unknown whether Bourn was on board when the plane crashed. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) http://www.faa.gov/ is conducting a full investigation into the fatal crash.

Legal News Reporter: Nicole Howley-Legal news for California aviation accident lawyers.