Couple Describes Chaotic Moments After Deadly Tahoe Plane Crash
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE (CBS13) – They were eating dinner in their rental home, preparing for a night in, when a plane came crashing just feet from their living room.
"We had literally just poured the wine, were going to sit down when it happened," Mar Jennings said.
But a relaxing getaway to South Lake Tahoe turned into anything but Saturday night for Mar Jennings and her husband Rod McFadden, who are now back in their home in the Bay Area.
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"I felt like something hit the house, because it jolted and there was this noise. And then we went to look through the window and there were branches falling from the tree," Rod said.
The jolt coming from a plane crashing through the trees and exploding just feet from the house they were renting for the night – a home that would quickly catch on fire.
"It was within 10 feet of the side of the house. It was right there, which is why the flames ran up the side of the house," Rod said.
The El Dorado County Sheriff's Office confirms two people were killed in the crash, flying in a Beech Bonanza aircraft registered out of Oakley. The plane had just taken off from the nearby Lake Tahoe Airport.
Rod and Mar ran from the home as neighbors pulled up to help.
"They were yelling, 'Call 911,' and we saw somebody was talking to 911 when we got out," Mar said.
But it appears there was no hope for the pilot and passenger.
Federal investigators are trying to figure out what went wrong. There were no reports of severe weather in the area.
To give you an idea just how close the plane came to the house, the couple says the fuselage was found on one side of the home, while a wing was on the other.
Rod and Mar are now expressing their sympathy for the family of the victims, and realizing how close they came to being ones themselves.
"It was scary; we thought, if he had not maybe sheared his wings off and been going full, it could have gone through the house," Mar said.
According to the FAA registry, the plane is owned by Conrad Yu from Oakley. It is unclear if Yu was one of the people killed.
