UPDATE: THE woman inside a house hit by a light plane in a fatal crash in bayside Melbourne says the explosion brought her to her knees.

The “heroic” pilot, aged in his 70s, died after a home-built light plane crashed into a house in Camp St, Chelsea, triggering “a massive burst of flames and huge black smoke”.

Victoria Police said the plane “caught fire on impact” after it struck the house and damaged two vehicles. The pilot, whose name has not been released, was killed instantly.

Acting inspector Janene Denton said the single-engine light aircraft was travelling south along the foreshore before it crashed about 1.25pm.

“Certainly it could have been worse,” she said.

Chelsea light plane crash media_camera A firefighter inspects the wreckage. Picture: Jason Sammon 1 of 23 media_camera Chelsea MFB officers in breathing apparatus examine the wreckage of a light plane that crashed in Camp St, Chelsea. Picture: Jason Sammon 2 of 23 media_camera A Vans RV6 similar to the plane that crashed. 3 of 23 media_camera Two police officers investigate at the scene. Picture: Chris Eastman 4 of 23 nav_small_close Want to see more?( 19 more photos in collection )Continue to full gallery nav_small_left nav_small_right

CFA spokesman Andrew Delaney praised the heroic actions of the pilot, saying he had spared other lives by appearing to deliberately guide the plane down as safely as possible.

“He did a good job of keeping away from other houses,” he said. “If you think he missed power lines, he did a very good job.”

Witnesses said the plane’s engine stalled before it came down, clipping the corner of a house and fence and damaging two cars.

The woman inside the house, Herta Nebert, 75, was treated at the scene by paramedics for emotional distress.

She said she was in her kitchen before the plane crashed through her house.

She heard the loud whirring of the engine and seconds later a terrifying bang that knocked her to her knees.

“There was a bang it was like an explosion almost which must have been when he sheared off the wing and I fell to my knees.

“I got up and thought ‘Oh my God’ and I saw the flames so I ran outside.

“I heard a big roar (before the plane crashed) I knew it was a plane the minute it hit.”

Mrs Nebert said she thought aluminium pillars at the back of her house helped deflect the plane from ending up in her kitchen.

Her home is located on The Strand at the junction with Camp St, just metres from a children’s playground, about 30km from Melbourne’s CBD.

Debris was strewn 300m along the laneway and beach with the area cordoned off, with residents within the crash site not allowed in the zone.

Insp Denton asked people who see debris that could be related to be plane along to foreshore to not touch it and report it to police.

There are unconfirmed reports the plane was trying to make an emergency landing, after suffering engine trouble, and “nosedived” into the house.

Meanwhile, Chelsea SES have described as an “absolute mess”.

“There are people everywhere and you can’t move through the streets because there are so many emergency vehicles about, said SES spokesman Phil Wall.

“The is debris all the way along the Camp St laneway from The Strand right through to The Avenue,” he added.

“It’s a mess, it’s an absolute mess.”

The Country Fire Authority said it received calls from the public at 1.30pm today saying a light aircraft had crashed into at least one home on The Strand.

At least four fire trucks raced to the scene, which was deemed “controlled” by 1.50pm.

The CFA said: “In crashing it clipped the front of a house and as a result there was a small fire which is now out. The house has also been damaged.”

Chelsea plane crash 5 min ago pic.twitter.com/w5I4tbkr7F — john kovac (@thealien_earth) October 14, 2014

Just watched a plane smash into a laneway in Chelsea and explode OMG SHOCKING! — Johny Boyd (@BoydJohny) October 14, 2014

More witnesses have come forward, describing the “big bang” before impact.

Construction worker Jay Hayward, 32, working five streets away from the crash, told the Herald Sun he saw a “little black light plane” just 30 metres from roof tops.

“I heard this little engine and looked up and it was really low, about 30 metres from the top of the house roofs,” he said.

“Then it backfired - like a pop - it was so loud you would have heard it for miles.

“I rushed to tell my boss and then, two streets out, it started to nosedive. It all happened so quickly and right above us.”

Emma Maddocks, who works at a dental practice two doors away from the crash, said she could hear the plane as it approached the house.

She then heard a big bang.

Ms Maddocks thought the plane was trying to land on the beach but did not make it.

“We heard a big bang that shook the whole building,” she told the ABC.

“There were lots of bricks and fire.”

Another nearby resident Anna, 72, said she heard a strange noise and noticed the plane flying low in the sky around 1pm.

“It sounded like engine trouble, I said to myself something is wrong, different,” she said.

“My son is a pilot and it didn’t sound like it was working properly. I was doing the gardening and it was making an odd sound and was quite low in the sky.

“I want inside to get something to eat and next thing I heard it was down.”

The accident zone

Eyewitness Graeme told 3AW: “I saw a massive burst of flames and huge black smoke. People running everywhere.

“I couldn’t see anything, the flames and the smoke were too intense. Hundreds of people gathered. Too dangerous to be around it.”

Another witness, Robert also spoke to the station: “It burst into flames and shattered all along The Strand.”

media_camera Picture: Twitter/@helenadenley

Among the first alerts on social media were from another witness, John Kovac, who said on Twitter: “I think ive (sic) just seen a plane crash in Chelsea!!!”

He added: “I’m nearly out of power, people on ground appear safe, amazingly, looks like it landed on a back shed, in a laneway”.

Neighbour, Helena Denley, who lives two streets away, said: “I heard a plane revving hard overhead and then a big bang.

“It wasn’t until I heard sirens that I went out to have a look.”

By the time she got there the police had it taped the area off.

“All I could see was the house clipped and rubble in the laneway,” she said.

The accident was close to Chelsea train station and the Chelsea waterfront.

Victoria Police held a press conference at the scene at 3pm.