3 family members died when their small plane crashed into a home in a Detroit suburb

• Three people on a private plane died after it crashed into a home in a Detroit suburb.
• The family of five who live in the Lyon Township home were unharmed, but the house caught on fire and the family cat died.
• The deceased were identified as a recent president of a local Home Builders Association, David S. Compo, his wife Michelle, and son Dawson.

A small private plane crashed into a home in a Detroit suburb on Saturday, killing all three people on board.

The crash started a fire in the Lyon Township home, but the family of five who live there escaped without any injuries. The family's cat died, according to news reports.

The family told local NBC affiliate WDIV that they had been sitting in the living room, about to watch a movie, before going into the kitchen to grab snacks. The plane crashed into the living room moments later.

David S. Compo, a Detroit area homebuilder and the former president of the Detroit area's home builders association, his wife Michelle, and son Dawson, were identified as the three deceased passengers by the Home Builders Association of Southeastern Michigan on Facebook.

Compo and his family had flown to Canton, Georgia, on December 29th, and were en route back to the metro Detroit area, according to the Homebuilders Association. They intended to land at the Oakland Airport, less than a mile south of where they crashed.

The plane, a single-engine Piper PA-24, crashed into the home just around 4 pm ET, the Federal Aviation Administration confirmed to Insider. The plane was registered to Aircom LLC, according to FAA records, which shares a Novi, Michigan, address with Compo Builders, Compo's company.

The National Transportation Safety Board will lead the investigation into the crash with help from the GAA, according to the FAA statement.

Compo was elected as the president of Home Builders Association of Southeastern Michigan for 2020, leaving the post on New Year's Eve, just days before the crash. He was also awarded Builder of the Year and Developer of the Year, according to Hour Detroit. Compo's company has worked on more than 1,000 homes and remodeling projects, and he was also the owner of a real estate brokerage firm, Compo Brokerage.

Dawson Compos was a 2020 graduate of Detroit Catholic Central High School, according to the school's Facebook page.