Watch CBS News

Listen: 9-1-1 Call After Plane Crashed Into Home Near Midway

(CBS) – The 9-1-1 call in the immediate aftermath of a plane crash near Midway Airport earlier this week are surreal, with a neighbor reporting an incredible sight and dispatchers responding in stoic fashion.

"Hi, there's an airplane that just crashed in front of my house," the caller says over the phone.

"You said there's a what?" the dispatcher replies. At one point, the caller is put on hold and has to repeat the information to another operator.

A plane nose-dived into the front of a two-story home in the 6500 block of South Knox Avenue, around 2:45 a.m. Tuesday, and ended up partially in the living room, and partially outside on the front lawn, its tail still up in the air.

The pilot died. An elderly couple inside the home were sleeping just inches away, but were unharmed.

The plane initially was headed for Chicago Executive Airport in Wheeling. But just before takeoff, the pilot changed his flight plan to go to Ohio State University Airport in Columbus.

The Fire Department said the pilot of the plane — an Aero Commander 500 turboprop — was the only person in the plane at the time.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.