And The Hits Just Keep On Comin'! - Another Plane Hits Structure That Refuses to Collapse

LAS VEGAS (Aug. 22) - An experimental aircraft crashed into a house and exploded shortly after takeoff Friday, killing the pilot and two people inside the home, authorities said.

Firefighters quickly doused an intense fire in the single-family stucco home in a working-class neighborhood southeast of a main runway at the airport. No other homes appeared damaged.

The plane appeared to have crashed through the roof over the living room.

A deputy fire chief, Kevin Brame, said authorities believe three people lived in the home, but one was not home at the time of the crash.

Neighbor Letizia Gonzalez, 17, said she awoke to a sound "like a bomb."

"We came outside and we saw flames coming out of the house. We went to look and it started exploding even more," she said. "They were nice people. "

Don't tell NIST.

NIST - Just Makin' Shit Up...

Says Dr. Shyam Sunder, who directed NIST's team of researchers in the investigation: "Fire triggered a "new phenomenon" -- thermal expansion of structural steel, which caused a cascade of collapsing floors, ultimately bringing the building down symmetrically, into its own footprint."

"This is the first time that we're aware of, that a building over 15 stories tall has collapsed primarily due to fire," said Dr. Sunder during Thursday's NIST press conference. Had the city's water mane not been cut, and WTC 7's sprinkler systems been active, the building may still stand, he said.