Indiana Plane Crash Probed As Homicide

Mar 06, 07:07 AM

Current Headlines: Indiana State Police suspect homicide in a Bedford, Ind., small plane crash that possibly targeted the pilot's former mother-in-law and killed two people.

The leased aircraft smashed into the house of Vivian Pace at 10:45 a.m. in the city about 20 miles south of Bloomington, the Indianapolis Star reported.

The 47-year-old pilot, Eric Johnson, and his 8-year-old daughter Emily were aboard, and were killed. Pace was at home when the plane struck but was not injured, State Police spokesman Sgt. Dave Bursten said.

Soon after, Johnson's ex-wife reported her daughter missing after a weekend visitation expired and the girl had not shown up at school, the report said.

State Police will pursue the criminal aspect of the investigation and the National Transportation Safety Board will handle the crash analysis, Bursten told the Star.

He said it wasn't immediately clear how long the Johnsons had been divorced, and that as far as he knew there was no restraining or protective order in place.