Plane Hits Indiana House Killing Two People

Two people have died after the private jet they were travelling in crashed into three homes in Indiana.

The plane came down near a regional airport in South Bend with four people on board, Roland Herwig, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration, said.

"There was an indication of a mechanical problem," he added.

Stan Klaybor, who lives near the crash scene, said the jet clipped the top of one house and damaged a second before coming to rest against a third.

His wife, Mary Jane, added: "(The plane) was coming straight at my house ... then there was a big crash and all the insulation went flying."

Assistant Fire Chief John Cortheir said jet fuel from the aircraft made the crash site "very dangerous".

It was not clear whether anyone on the ground was killed or injured.

Homes near the airport were evacuated, with around 200 people taken to a nearby shelter.

The plane - a Beechcraft Premier I twin-jet - was registered to Montana-based 7700 Enterprises.

The company runs a vehicle overlay printing business in Tulsa, Oklahoma, from where the plane took off.