Reports: House Just 500 Feet From Runway

A 71-year old pilot attempting to return to the air after his Cessna 500 Citation ran out of room on a wet runway at Conway Municipal Airport (KCWS) slammed into a nearby house Saturday, killing himself and a woman inside the home, according to local media reports.

A fire that started after the crash, which occurred just after 2:50 pm, took about two hours to put out, according to Conway Fire Chief Bart Castleberry. The airport is located 26 miles north of Little Rock.

FAA officials said the pilot "landed long" on the runway, then tried to reapply power and take off again. One witness said it looked like the pilot knew he wasn't going to stop and hit full thrust, but his wheels never left the ground.

A passenger in the plane and the woman's husband, who was cutting the grass outside their home, survived the crash. Both were hospitalized.

Conway Fire Chief Bart Castleberry said neighboring houses were evacuated and mourners attending a funeral in a nearby cemetery were briefly stranded when emergency crews blocked off the area.

The FAA closed the Conway airport Saturday afternoon; it was to reopen Sunday.

A similar accident occurred in 1990, when a twin-engine airplane crashed into a fence and a house as it tried to land at the airport, killing the plane's co-pilot.

Conway officials have debated for decades whether to move the airport; its main runway has little room for expansion because of development in the surrounding area. The house the Citation impacted is reported to be just 500 feet off the end of the runway.

The crash is under investigation by the FAA and the NTSB.

FMI: www.faa.gov, www.ntsb.gov, www.conwayairport.com