Plane crashes into ball of flames near Melbourne homes

Investigators are working to determine how a small plane crashed on a street in suburban Melbourne, killing its pilot, SkyNews reported.

Residents say the plane burst into a ball of flames as it came down just metres from their front doors.

The pilot has died after the light plane crash-landed in a suburban street in  Mordialloc in Melbourne's south east. 

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau said the single-engine Cessna 172 aircraft was involved in a "fatal collision with terrain" on Friday, Efe news reported.

The small airplane burst into flames on impact, said the police, adding that "one person, who is yet to be formally identified and the sole occupant, was located deceased in the aircraft".

Photos from the scene of the crash show the plane's wreckage lying just metres from private residences.