Small plane crashes in Detroit backyard; pilot, passenger unharmed

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A pilot and passenger were able to walk away after the small, single-engine plane they were in crashed through trees and between backyard garages on Detroit's east side.

The passenger compartment of the plane collapsed when it crashed about 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Detroit Police Chief James White said.

"He came right in over the garage over a tree," White added. "Hit the tree. Branches fell on the garage. He clips the garage as he goes down and the plane is actually wedged between the gate and the garage."

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"We don’t know yet what caused him to lose control or if it was an engine failure," White said. "But he’s up and walking. His passenger is up and walking."

Their names were not released.

Aerial view of Detroit, where a non-fatal aircraft collision occurred in a residential neighborhood on its east side. (Mike Kline (notkalvin) via Getty Images)

No one on the ground was hurt and the residents of the home nearest to where the plane crashed "are OK but shaken up," White said.

The plane crashed not far from a school and park.

"It could have been a lot worse," Detroit Fire Chief James Harris said.

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Nicholas Pulliam was on his porch when he saw the plane come down.

"It was moving very slow through the air," Pulliam told The Detroit News. "We ran in the backyard and everybody was just trying to help make sure everybody was OK."

The plane had taken off several hours earlier from a small airport in Oakland County, north of Detroit, according to WJBK-TV.

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The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are expected to investigate the cause of the crash landing.