A Utah man died after crashing a plane into his home hours after he was released from jail for assaulting his wife. Duane Youd, 47, a pilot, aimed his Cessna 525 Citation Jet into his home on Monday at about 2:30 am where his wife and son were in the home at the time of the crash but were able to escape. Youd had been arrested on Sunday night for domestic violence against his wife. He was booked into the Utah County Jail and made bail before 1 am Tuesday morning.

The incident began at American Fork Canyon when Utah County Sheriff’s Office received calls about a domestic violence situation between Duane Youd and his wife on Sunday night, according to Payson Police Department Sgt. Noemi Sandoval. “They had been drinking and an argument broke out and he started hitting her and some witnesses called in to police to say a guy was hitting a woman,” Sandoval said on Monday. Youd was arrested shortly after but the department said he had requested to be accompanied to his home to pick up his belongings. “He then evidently went to the airplane after leaving his home,” Sandoval said. Around 2:30 am Payson authorities received a call that a plane had crashed into Youd’s home.

Neighbours who saw the crash said they couldn’t believe it. Slade Buhler, who heard the plane circling the neighbourhood, said, “It just got lower and lower. I said ‘Oh my gosh it’s going to hit the mountain. It’s getting lower.’ You can just see it getting lower. Suddenly, a huge ball of orange fire. I couldn’t believe it.” Sandoval told reporters the home was fully engulfed in flames after the crash, according to CBS News.

Youd was a professional pilot, according to police reports. He flew for VanCon, a construction company that owned the plane. Youd was the only person who flew it. Public records obtained by CNN affiliate KSTU-TV showed Youd lived at the home where the plane crashed, and the couple had bought the home last year. Payson police confirmed there have been previous domestic violence incidents at the home.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 14, 2018 12:53 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).