FORT BEND COUNTY, Texas — A small plane crashed onto the roof of a Texas home on Monday after its pilot attempted to land it near a private airstrip, authorities said.
The owner of the residence, located in Fulshear, a suburb west of Houston, told KTRK that they were in bed just before 6:45 a.m. CT when they heard a boom, which was the plane striking the home.
According to a social media post, the Federal Aviation Administration identified the aircraft as a Piper J3C-65. Only the pilot was on board, the agency said, adding that it will investigate the incident.
Fulshear Fire Department Battalion Chief Ford Stein told KTRK that when first responders arrived, the pilot was alert but stuck inside the plane’s cockpit.
“We needed to secure electricity to the house; with the fuel leaking and the vapor, we didn’t want to cause a spark and cause a bigger problem than we already had,” Stein told the television station.
Authorities have not identified the cause of the crash, the Houston Chronicle reported.
A Piper J3C-65 crashed into a house in Fulshear, Texas, around 6:45 a.m. local time on Monday, July 20. The FAA was not providing air traffic control services. Only the pilot was on board. The FAA will investigate. https://t.co/tFDIr1k7hb
— The FAA ✈️ (@FAANews) July 20, 2026
According to information shared at the scene, the pilot is familiar with the Covey Trails Airstrip, KPRC reported. The pilot typically flies to the airstrip daily, usually during the evening, according to the television station.
The pilot was taken to an area hospital, KTRK reported, citing the Texas Department of Public Safety
“You know you always hear airplane crash, and you don’t always hear of someone walking away from it,” Stein said, according to KTRK.
The home was located in the Covey Trails neighborhood of the city, the television station reported. The gated community is built around a grass runway, and Stein told reporters that the majority of homeowners in the neighborhood fly small airplanes.
© 2026 Cox Media Group
