Pilot killed when plane crashes into Joliet house

One man was killed when a small plane crashed into a home in southwest suburban Plainfield on Thursday morning.

The small aircraft crashed into a house, which then caught fire, in the 1800 block of Hampton Court in Plainfield at 11:14 a.m., according to the FAA and the Joliet Fire Department.

The pilot was on board at the time of the crash and was killed, according to Joliet police and FAA officials.

He was identified as Garry T. Bernardo, 58, of Lake Worth, Florida, according to the Will County coroner’s office. He was pronounced dead at 3:58 p.m. A cause of death was pending further investigation.

No one was inside the home at the time of the crash, according to the fire department.

The FAA sent a team to the crash site to determine the type of aircraft and to begin an investigation, spokesman Tony Molinaro said. The FAA will gather information and pass it on to the NTSB, which will lead the investigation and determine the probable cause of the crash.

Jennifer McFarland, manager of Joliet Regional Airport, said that due to the condition of the crashed plane, it was not yet known if it was heading to or from the airport.