By: Las Vegas Now Staff
This is the second time NTSB investigators have come to Las Vegas in less than a week. The latest plane crashed on Jones near Cheyenne. Reporter Edward Lawrence who has reaction from the family who lives in the home and the NTSB.
NTSB investigators have been out there all day. They are searching the house for clues. The main part of the plane hit that car in the driveway between the homes and slid partially under the house. It will be dug out by a backhoe Saturday.
Five people were inside at the time of the crash. One of them described for us what he heard and saw.
SLIDESHOW: Plane Crashes Into Neighborhood
Miguel Castillo had a front row seat to the deadly plane crash. He was in the backyard preparing for a barbecue.
“I listen. The crash – bam-bam-bam-bam. I said what happened? My face move to see what happened,” said Castillo.
Looking around the side of the house, the fire started to spread.
“I feel the hot. Very hot in my face,” he said.
His thoughts turned to his family – his 3-year-old son, 14-year-old daughter, wife – 7 months pregnant and a 72-year old family friend were inside the home that caught fire.
“My family is first. Every time the family is first. I feel the fire, and I go inside and I say take the kids and go outside – right now.
Luckily, they were on the other side of the house from the crash. Still, the concern spread as fast as the flames.
“I see the explosion. I see the explosion and fire in my face. I say, 'Oh my God.' Inside I scream – hey, take the kids and go outside right now. I take my little kids and go and run here,” said Castillo.
Coming out the front door, Castillo's quick action may have saved lives. “In the middle of the house, outside is a second explosion. On my back. Boom. Wow. I run over there,” he said.
The plane crashed at 2:35 in the afternoon — two hours later and 30 more people would have been in the home. Thursday is bible study for Castillo, his pastor and his new congregation. It's a tight group. Norman Sigui was Castillo's first call.
“We prayed. The first thing we did pray. We get into my car to have something, what can I say – silence,” said Sigui.
He helped the family calm down, gave them new T-shirts and reminded them that their belongings may be gone, but they are still here to rebuild.
Castillo's wife went to the hospital for observation. She had some smoke inhalation, but her and her baby will be fine.
The pilot died on impact. Eyewitness News has confirmed his name was William J. Leahy Jr.
Friday afternoon, NTSB investigator Wayne Pollack told us the plane hit trees, the power lines, then the house and car — but does not know the why the plane crashed.
“We do know there was an inflight emergency that forced the pilot to communicate with air traffic control that he needed to immediately return for landing. The accident occurred during that process. Whether engine problem, an airframe problem – we do not know,” said Wayne Pollack, NTSB investigator.
The NTSB confirms Leahy was on a ferry flight. In North Las Vegas, they removed all seats from his plane and installed extra fuel tanks. The plane was headed to Palo Alto to fuel up those extra tanks and was then heading to Korea.
The parts of the twin engine plane will be taken to a hanger and examined for those clues. A final report on a cause will take several months.
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