AKRON — For the first time, the homeowner whose Akron house was struck by a small plane is speaking out about the moment his family narrowly escaped with their lives.
Colton Laudato said he grabbed both of his young children and his dog and ran from the home as smoke and flames filled the living room.
The plane crashed into the home along Canterbury Circle at around 3:45 p.m. Thursday. The 2 people on board were killed. Laudato, his 2 young children, and his dog survived without injuries.
Laudato said he was working from home in the basement when his internet went out. Shortly after, he heard a loud bang and his entire house shook as clouds of dust and smoke overcame him. He said it sounded like a train crashing into the home — he thought it might have been a car or a tree. He never imagined it was a plane.
He initially froze, then ran upstairs to check on his children. He was met with a wall of smoke and flames where the living room wall had been, with the plane engulfed just steps away.
"There's a ton of black smoke and kind of like flames that are coming through the house at that point. And I just ran upstairs, and I grabbed both, both my oldest and my youngest out of their out of their crib and out of their bed, and just ran outside with them," Laudato said.
Laudato said neighbors rushed to help almost immediately. At least 3 ran over to assist with his children and help him get situated.
He said the timing of the impact played a role in his family's survival. His wife was not home at the time. One of his children was napping. The plane struck the garage rather than the area of the basement where he was working or the area of the home where his children were.
"The plane going in my garage and hitting my truck instead of, you know, to the right where I was in the basement or higher up where my kids were napping. Those are all the things I'm thankful for. Just to have them safe and it could have been something that was way worse," Laudato said.
The home is a total loss. The Red Cross is assisting the family.
