A family inside the Canterbury Circle house escaped without reported injuries.
AKRON, Ohio — Two people aboard a small plane died Thursday afternoon when the aircraft crashed into a home in a south Akron neighborhood and burst into flames, authorities said.
The crash happened around 3:45 p.m. in the 2000 block of Canterbury Circle. The Federal Aviation Administration identified the aircraft as a Piper PA-28. Akron fire officials said the two people who died were found inside the aircraft, while the people inside the house escaped.
Fire crews arrived to heavy smoke and flames after the plane struck the home. Akron officials said the house and a nearby residence were evacuated as crews worked the scene. Video from the area showed a thick column of black smoke rising above homes as flames burned near the crash site.
Colton Laudato, who lived in the home, said he was working in the basement when his internet went out and the house shook. He said he ran upstairs and found smoke and flames filling the living area. Laudato said he grabbed his two young children and dog and ran outside.
“There’s a ton of black smoke and kind of like flames that are coming through the house,” Laudato told Good Morning America. He said neighbors quickly came over to help the family after the crash.
Laudato said his wife was not home at the time. He said one child had been sleeping upstairs and that the plane hit the garage area instead of the basement or the rooms where the children were. The home was later described as a total loss.
The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating. The NTSB is leading the inquiry and is expected to review the aircraft, flight path, weather, maintenance records and communications before releasing early findings.
Authorities had not released the names of the two people killed as of Friday. Officials also had not announced a cause for the crash. The Red Cross was assisting the family displaced from the home.
Author note: Last updated May 15, 2026.