Nearly everyone in the neighborhood heard the crash at 25 Bridle Path, some said they felt it and at least one man saw the plane go down just a few doors away from his.
Mike Brown was barbecuing outside when he heard what he believed were the early signs of a pilot in distress.
"The plane came over the neighbors' house. Its engine was sputtering, making noise," Brown said. "It then turned left and followed the street. I actually thought it was going to land on the street."
The single-engine plane crashed into the back roof area of the house shortly before 5 p.m. Flames shot through the two-story home, and thick, black smoke billowed through the neighborhood.
"I was in my room and I just felt this big shake," Brown's 15-year-old daughter, Jamie, said. "There was just black smoke everywhere. It was hot. It was hard to breathe."
The family that lived inside the house - identified by neighbors and property records as Aaron and Carol Rice and their two sons - got out of the home safely.
"I just thank God everyone got out okay," said neighbor Tracy Guerrier, who said the Rices are a good family and great neighbors.
But the three people onboard the Beech A-36 aircraft were killed, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.
>>RELATED: Read a transcript of the pilots conversation with Air Traffic Control<<
Investigators did not release the cause of the crash on Sunday night, but radio transmissions indicate the pilot was in distress and attempting to land nearby.
Community members have also set up fundraisers to help the family, who lost almost everything in the fire.
A local Girl Scout troop he local decided to donate half proceeds from a fundraiser they were having at a frozen yogurt shop to the Rice family.
"It started as a fundraiser for the Girl Scouts but you know what? We can help the community by donating half, that's a great thing for everybody," said organizer Maureen James.
It was a gesture from the Plainville community that was bringing solace to the Rice family.
"We're fortunate. We are surrounded by people who love us, its fantastic," Aaron Rice said. "We are able to take solace in that, at least."
Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/7QOJU3BNCJERBNKJC5LWTBYFLU.png)
