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One person dead after plane crashes in Lehigh County

The crash was reported around 1:30 p.m. Wednesday near Allentown.

ALLENTOWN, Pa. — It's a situation no pilot, private or commercial, ever wants to see happen.

Just after 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, a single-engine plane that took off from the Queen City Airport crashed in the front yard of a home just off of Keystone Avenue in Salisbury Township outside of Allentown.

Allen Desris was working at a house nearby when the plane hit the ground.

"Heard someone yell for help, we kind of ran over, and the plane was on fire, and it ended up kind of exploding," he said.

Emergency Crews arrived quickly on the scene, shutting down Keystone Road for much of the afternoon.

The Lehigh County Coroner said one person died as a result of the crash, and another was injured and taken to a nearby hospital.

David Melman is a pilot who flies out of Queen City Airport.

He was at the scene trying to see if any of his friends were involved in the wreck.

"You're always on your toes when you fly, fully aware of everything that is going on around you, but this is, unfortunately, part of what goes along with flying, every now and then, there's an accident," he said.

Keystone Road in Lehigh County was shut down for more than five hours as investigators worked to figure out what happened from the plane's takeoff to a deadly crash.

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