Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Ice block 'from passenger plane' smashes through family home just feet from sleeping mother

'I thought it was a raccoon, because I hear lots of stories,' Carmela Caccavo says

Tom Embury-Dennis
Thursday 10 January 2019 11:09 EST
Comments
Huge chunk of ice believed to have fallen from aeroplane passing over smashes through family's roof

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A woman has described the moment a chunk of ice, believed to have fallen from a passenger plane, smashed through the roof of her family home and landed in a bedroom wardrobe while she was fast asleep.

Carmela Caccavo was still in bed at her home in Mississauga, Canada, when she and her son woke up to a crashing sound at around 6.30am on Wednesday morning.

“I thought something collapsed, like if you’re throwing something down the stairs and everything, boom – shatters,” Ms Caccavo told CP24, a Toronto-based cable news channel.

She was just a couple of metres away when the ice smashed through the closet.

“I thought it was a raccoon, because I hear lots of stories. But my son came and we saw a big chunk of ice,” Ms Caccavo added.

Ms Caccavo’s son, Michael, said he heard a “big loud boom” that woke him up right away. After going into his parents’ bedroom, he found a block of ice in the wardrobe and a hole in the ceiling.

“At first I was in shock and disbelief. I didn’t know what happened,” he told CTV News Toronto.

The piece of ice weighed almost five pounds, the family said.

The block of ice that fell through the family home
The block of ice that fell through the family home (CP24)

“You know it’s like two or three metres away from where my mom was sleeping. Or even if maybe my dad or mom were getting ready in the morning – that’s where they put their clothes on. It’s scary,” Michael added.

The family patched the roof, but estimated a repair would cost up to $20,000 (£15,673).

According to public flight records, it appears an Air Canada flight from Las Vegas to Toronto passed right over the home at around the time of the accident.

Air Canada has been contacted for comment.

In a statement, Canada’s transport department said: “The department takes all reports of possible debris coming from aircraft very seriously and every reported incident is investigated by departmental officials.

“If it is determined that the ice came from an aircraft, the department will try to identify the carrier to ensure the problem is rectified.”

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in