Pilot killed when small plane crashes in front yard of suburban Denver home

CENTENNIAL, Colo. (AP) — A cargo pilot who died when he crashed a small plane into the front yard of a suburban Denver home had reported loss of engine power before going down.

The National Transportation Safety Board says the twin-engine Cessna 404 cartwheeled a bit before stopping a few feet from the front door of a home around 4:30 a.m. Tuesday. The house had some heat damage from the resulting fire, but no one else was injured.

The Key Lime plane had taken off from nearby Centennial Airport and was heading to Denver International Airport when it crashed in below-zero weather.

NTSB investigator Jennifer Rodi says cold weather can affect engine performance, and the investigation will look at how the plane was stored and whether the engine was preheated, among many other factors.

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