Three die as plane returning from Disneyland cheerleader event nosedives into houses

Three people died and two were injured when a small plane carrying them home from a cheerleading competition nosedived into two houses in southern California and sparked a major fire, authorities and witnesses have said.

A husband, wife and three teenagers were on the plane that had just taken off from Riverside Municipal Airport at 4.40pm on Monday local time intending to return to San Jose after the weekend cheerleading event at Disneyland when it crashed in the residential neighbourhood, Riverside fire chief Michael Moore said.