A small Cessna aircraft crashed in the backyard of a northern Baton Rouge home Wednesday.
While investigating the crash, authorities found five marijuana plants growing several feet from the crash site, according to WAFB. Betty McManus, 53, was later arrested on charges of cultivation and distribution of marijuana, according to police officials.
According to Alan Ward, Baton Rouge Fire Department spokesperson, the single-propeller airplane landed near 3229 Canonicus St., narrowly missing the house.
“The plane struck an oak tree, which absorbed the force and spun around the plane,” Ward said. “The airplane fell flat into the backyard.”
The residents of the house were shocked.
“The wing is on top of the house, and I can’t tell if the house is damaged badly,” said Erica McManus, resident of the house.
Erica McManus was working at the time of the crash, but her children were home.
“I was asleep when it happened. I heard a very loud noise, looked out the window and saw a plane,” said her son Reginald McManus, 16. “I saw the pilot come out of the plane, he wasn’t hurt at all.”
The airplane is owned by Gulf Coast Aerial Photography. The pilot, Robin Tendelkor, of Prairieville, was out taking pictures, according to Ward.
The pilot was flying to the airport when the plane developed engine trouble. The cause of the engine trouble is under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration.
Betty McManus was booked in East Baton Rouge Parish Prison without bond Wednesday night, according to police officials.
Ward said crashes in residential areas are uncommon.
“It’s not every day that the fire department responds to a plane crash in a residential area,” he said. “It’s not something we want to do again soon.”
—Contact Mitchell Dickson at [email protected]