Small plane crashes into house garden in Brazil, 3 killed

RIO DE JANEIRO, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) -- At least three people were killed on Monday when a small aircraft crashed into the garden of a private home in Brazil's southeast state of Sao Paulo, officials said.

The single-engine Beechcraft crashed in the city of Sao Jose do Rio Preto, some 440 km from the state capital Sao Paulo, killing all three people on board, the Fire Department said.

No one was inside the home at the time of the crash.

The plane plummeted only 300 meters from the airport it was heading for, after taking off from Tangara da Serra, in the west-central state of Mato Grosso.

Brazilian aeronautics officials are investigating the cause of the crash.