Pilot crashes into in-laws' house

A pilot and his eight-year-old daughter were killed when their small plane crashed into his in-laws' house in the US state of Indiana, authorities said.

Eric Johnson, 47, and his daughter Emily died. A woman was in the house at the time, but she was not injured.

The incident occurred mid-morning near a southern Indiana airport. The plane had been rented from the facility.

The cause was not immediately clear but police said a preliminary investigation showed it was "an intentional act".

The plane had just taken off. Eyewitnesses said it appeared to be trying to land when it veered 90 degrees and went out of sight, local media reported.

According to The Times-Mail newspaper, the plane struck the one-storey home of Vivian Pace in the town of Bedford, who said she was in her living room when the plane hit.

"Everything fell off the walls," she told the newspaper. She said she tried to call 911, but her telephone line had been damaged.

"Something was wrong with [the plane] because it made a horrible noise," she said.

The cause of the crash will not be known until the National Transportation Safety Board has completed its investigation, which could take up to a year, a police spokesman said.