A single-engine plane on final approach to Santa Monica Airport in the western US state of California crashed into a house near Los Angeles on Tuesday, killing at least two people aboard.  

Authorities said the crash, igniting a large fire that gutted the residence in fog-bound Mar Vista, occurred at about 5"The four-seat low-winged Mooney Mark 20, which reportedly clipped a roofline, then crashed into a rear bedroom at the residence, was said to have been inbound to Santa Monica from Mammoth.

The two confirmed victims were a man and woman who were in their 60s and 70s. It was unclear if other passengers were aboard. The only person at home when the plane crashed into the house escaped unharmed.

Neighbors reported hearing the plane circling the area lower and lower. The pilot did not appear to be having engine trouble, they told local news media.

Brian Humphrey of the Los Angeles Fire Department said crews discovered "human remains in the burned and crumpled fuselage." He said it was unclear how many people might have been aboard the plane.

"No other injuries were discovered. There was one man at the home in the front. He fled shaken, but uninjured," Humphrey said.

The cause of the crash was still under investigation.

(Xinhua News Agency March 17, 2004)