Plane Crashes Into House; None Injured : Santa Monica: A wall and part of the roof are torn off. There were four aboard the aircraft and four in the home.

A single-engine airplane made a “miraculous” crash-landing on a residential street in West Los Angeles Sunday night, clipping a house and a street lamp during its descent but causing no injuries to the four people in the plane or anyone on the ground, authorities said.

The six-seat Piper Malibu was on approach to Santa Monica Municipal Airport at about 6 p.m. when the pilot reported that his engine was running rough.

“The tower had visual contact with the plane, then he veered off and they lost sight of him,” a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman said.

The plane did not catch fire on impact, but its wing tore off part of the tile roof and living-room wall of a Spanish-style house in the 1800 block of South Sherbourne Drive.

The pilot, Brian Catalde, 48, a builder from West Los Angeles, could not be reached for comment.

Jay Morin, Catalde’s 20-year-old son, said that his father had left a message on the answering machine.

“He said everything was all right, not to panic if we hear that the plane went down,” Morin said. “He was worried that we might hear about the crash before he could tell us he’s fine.”

Morin said his father was returning from a skiing vacation in New Mexico with three passengers when his plane ran into difficulty.

Los Angeles Fire Department Battalion Chief Tom McMasters said the four occupants of the plane “walked away without injury.”

The four people in the house, identified as Betty and Tony Roddam and their two children, were unhurt, despite damage to the residence--where the family has lived for seven years--estimated at $40,000 by fire officials.

“They were all very fortunate,” McMasters said.

The plane struck the house just as the family was about to watch a movie, Betty Roddam said.

“All of a sudden there was an explosion, a huge gush of air, and wood and glass went flying everywhere,” she said. “We were fortunate, my 8-month-old daughter was under the marble coffee table at the time and my husband was holding my 3-year-old (daughter) in his lap.”

Many on the quiet street thought that an earthquake had struck. Tony Roddam said in a telephone interview that he and his wife grabbed the children and ran out the back door.

“It wasn’t until I got out of the house that I realized that it was an airplane on the street,” he said. “At first we were afraid the plane would explode. But it didn’t. The police and fire engines came within minutes.”

“They (the pilot and passengers) stepped out of the plane and said they were happy no one was hurt and that they were sorry they picked our house to land on,” said Betty Roddam. “I don’t really care about the house at this point. I’m just happy everyone is all right.

The crash shocked several residents on the quiet street.

“It sounded like a bomb went off,” recalled Phillip Melton, who said he stayed in his house at first. “I ran outside and saw what happened. That plane just peeled the roof right off the house like a banana.”

Samuel Starr, another neighbor, said he heard no engine noise or other warning before the plane crashed.

“You couldn’t hear a thing until there was a big bang,” he said.

Witnesses said the pilot and passengers walked around in a daze until paramedics arrived.

“He (the pilot) said the engine cut off a couple of times and that there was nothing he could do. It happened so fast,” Tony Roddam said. “They said there was no place safe to land.”

Roddam said he felt extremely lucky, because the crash left a hole in the living room “big enough to drive a truck through.” The family planned to spend the night at neighbor Starr’s home.

“We just bought a lottery ticket today. Maybe this is our lucky number?” Roddam said.

Betty Roddam said she had been looking forward to seeing the movie “Batman,” but the crash spoiled it for her.

“It was the first time I was going to see it, but i don’t think I want to see it now.” she said.