UNIONTOWN, Ohio (AP) – Authorities say one person was killed when a small plane crashed on the front lawn of a vacant house in rural northeastern Ohio on Friday.

Ohio State Highway Patrol spokesman Lt. Tony Bradshaw says the aircraft hit a flagpole and crashed on the lawn. The pilot was killed and Bradshaw says no other passengers were on board.

The crash sparked a fire that damaged the house’s garage in Uniontown but nobody on the ground was injured.

The crash occurred in a residential area surrounded by farmland. The (Canton) Repository reports that fuselage was strewn between neighboring homes.

Bradshaw says authorities believe the plane was attempting to land at Akron-Canton Airport about two miles away.

Uniontown is about 10 miles southeast of Akron.

AP-ES-12-19-08 2122EST