Small Plane Crashes Into New Hampshire Neighborhood

The crash occurred shortly after the aircraft departed from the nearby Nashua Airport.
Published: 12/17/2025, 10:44:59 PM EST
Federal aviation officials are investigating after a small plane crashed into a residential condominium complex in southern New Hampshire on Wednesday afternoon. The incident resulted in injuries to the pilot and caused significant damage to at least one building.

The crash occurred shortly after the aircraft departed from the nearby Nashua Airport. The Federal Aviation Administration said the plane, a Velocity V-Twin, went down around 2:10 p.m. local time at the Cannongate Condominiums, a residential complex off Cannongate Road on the opposite side of Route 101A from the airport. The area is heavily populated with homes and shopping centers.

Emergency crews responded quickly after multiple reports indicated a plane had crashed into a building. According to fire officials, the aircraft landed upside down in the rear parking lot of the wooded condominium complex. Aerial footage revealed substantial damage to the roof of one of the nearby condo buildings.

According to Nashua police, the pilot was the sole occupant of the aircraft and the only individual injured in the crash. No injuries were reported among residents, as officials confirmed that no one was home in the affected condominium at the time. The pilot was transported to a hospital but authorities did not immediately disclose the extent of the injuries.

Fire officials said a civilian helped the pilot escape from the wreckage. That individual was treated at the scene and transported to Southern New Hampshire Medical Center, according to Nashua Fire Rescue.

Nashua Fire and Rescue Chief Steve Buxton told WMUR-TV in a televised interview on Dec. 17 that he believes the pilot was practicing touch-and-go landings at the airport before the crash. Touch-and-go maneuvers involve repeated takeoffs and landings and are commonly used for flight training.

A witness described seeing the aircraft struggle moments before impact. “When we looked up, it was like teetering. I thought he was getting the hang of it, and then all of a sudden it was a big teeter, and then he just dipped down behind the buildings. And then you just hear a loud bang, and then a secondary bang,” Morgan Bonilla said in a televised interview with WMUR.

Photos from the scene showed the shattered plane resting upside-down on its roof in a snow bank near the damaged building. It was not immediately clear whether the aircraft struck multiple structures. The FAA said it will take over the investigation as authorities work to determine the cause of the crash.

In a separate incident last week, a dashcam video captured a small twin-engine plane making an emergency landing on top of a Toyota Camry traveling southbound on I-95 in Brevard County, Florida. According to Brevard County Fire Rescue, the Camry's driver sustained minor injuries and was taken to a nearby hospital. The Florida Highway Patrol reported that neither the pilot nor the passenger were injured.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.