3 People Survive After Small Plane Crashes Into Texas Home

Three people have been hospitalized with mild injuries after a small plane crashed into a house in central Texas on Sunday. 

The plane's three passengers were able to walk away from the wreckage without serious injuries, the Georgetown Fire Department said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE. The house was empty and under construction at the time, per NBC affiliate KGNS-TV.

The extent of their injuries is still unknown, but the department said all three passengers "sustained minor injuries" and were released from the hospital on Sunday night. 

The city's communications office did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.

Authorities told KGNS-TV the plane was en route to Georgetown Executive Airport when it experienced engine failure. The department said that's when it crashed into the unoccupied two-story duplex.

The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed that the plane was a single-engine Beech BE35 and that it crashed into the house around 12 p.m. The statement also noted that the FAA and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash. 

Monica Steanson told ABC affiliate KVUE-TV that her 30-year-old daughter, Lauren Peralez, was on the plane with friends from Austin: the pilot with 25 years of experience and his wife.

"This is a complete miracle," Steanson said. "Words cannot explain. I just thank God that she is here and that they are all OK."

Steanson said she spoke with her daughter shortly after the crash. 

“She was very emotional, as you can imagine – she has two kids, two girls,” she said. “They had flown together before. He then called into air traffic control and just said, ‘Engine failure, we're going down.’”

Shortly after the crash, neighbors rushed to help the passengers escape from the plane and get medical attention. 

“We all just got up from breakfast, ran across the street barefoot. Went around to the other house and it smelled like fuel. I started to kick down the door,” neighbor Dylan King told NBC affiliate KXAN-TV.

“They were in really good condition considering what happened,” King said. “They were scared, they didn’t know what was going on. They looked really confused. We had helped them down off the balcony and they were trying to jump through a hole in the roof. We opened the attic stairs and they got down that way.”

Both King and his sister-in-law rushed to help the passengers, saying they tried to get them out of the house as soon as possible because they were afraid the crash would cause an explosion.

“Went up there expecting the worst and got the best,” King added. “Glad God was watching over some people. It could’ve been way worse.”

No further updates on the confirmed cause of the crash have been provided as the NTSB continues its investigation.

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