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Neighbors not 'surprised' by St. Simons Island crash landing

Neighbors not 'surprised' by St. Simons Island crash landing
A photo of the pilot and passenger next to the mangled plane is posted on the Glynn County Airport Commission's Facebook page with a caption that reads: "The thankful gentlemen that were on the plane today."

ID=77401360ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. -- An elderly Georgia couple is displaced after a small plane crash lands onto the roof of their St Simons home. Neighbors, though shocked by the sight of a plane resting on a home, are not all that surprised by it.

"The last time it was very similar," said Hannah Allen. "The pilot was trying to land and he ended up in a neighborhood."

In December of 2014, a pilot died after crashing into a home on nearby Anguilla Avenue.

"That's been a fear of mine for the last few months," said Laura Seban, who lives across the street from where the Piper PA-32 sat on the roof of a home Tuesday.

"This one kind of startled me," said Seban. "I didn't know if my house had been hit or what happened."

According to the Glynn County Police Department, the plane was en route from Jacksonville Executive at Craig Airport, headed to South Carolina when it experienced mechanical problems before 11 a.m. The pilot attempted to land at nearby Malcolm McKinnon Airport but instead ended up on an elderly couple's roof.

A photo of the pilot and passenger next to the mangled plane is posted on the Glynn County Airport Commission's Facebook page with a caption that reads: "The thankful gentlemen that were on the plane today."

Both men walked away with very minor injuries.

The homeowners on Circle Drive, whose roof is now partially covered with a tarp, were unharmed. They're spending Tuesday night at a neighbor's home.

"The planes just seem like they're getting bigger," said Seban. "They're flying lower and lower these days. Just living so close and after last year it's definitely on your mind."

According to police, an investigation is now underway to figure out exactly why the plane crashed. The FAA and NTSB are also investigating.

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