FAA investigating after large chunk of ice crashes through California house and lands on couch
Federal authorities are investigating after a California resident reported that a large chunk of ice fell from the sky and crashed through the roof of a house and landed on a couch.
The incident occurred around 11:15 a.m. on Friday at a home in Whittier in Los Angeles County, according to local officials.
The resident reported hearing "what sounded like an explosion" and found a large block of dirty-looking ice on the living room couch, Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn's office said in a press release on Tuesday.
The ice had crashed through the roof and ceiling, according to Hahn's office, which released photos of the damage to the home.
No one was injured in the incident, Hahn's office said.
Local law enforcement and fire personnel responded and classified the situation as a "suspicious circumstance," and the resident submitted a report to the Federal Aviation Administration, according to Hahn.
The home is under the Los Angeles International Airport landing approach. Data from Flightradar24 shows there were planes flying over the house around the time of the incident, and there is a plane over the house approximately every 3 minutes.
Hahn has called for a "thorough and timely" investigation into the incident in a letter to the FAA. The letter, dated Tuesday, noted that a "large mass of ice penetrated the roof of a residential home, causing significant structural damage and posing substantial risk of injury or loss of life."
"While such incidents are rare, the potential consequences are extremely serious," Hahn wrote. "Whether the material originated from aircraft systems, waste leakage, or another source, this event raises important concerns about aviation safety over densely populated communities in Los Angeles County."
The FAA said it is investigating, and that the agency investigates every report it receives alleging ice fell from an airplane and damaged property.
The homeowner, Thania Magana, had reached out to Hahn on Saturday, "requesting assistance ensuring this incident is properly investigated," Hahn's office said.
Magana told ABC Los Angeles station KABC that the ice smelled bad and she's concerned that she touched it.
"We definitely want to know what it consists of and if it's going to affect our health," she told the station.
If the ice was due to a plane, Magana told KABC that she wants to "understand why it happens, because even right now as we're speaking, there's a plane flying over us and it's scary."
