Los Angeles: A small plane plunged into an apartment building near Hollywood, sending the three-story structure into flames within minutes and killing at least two people.

The body of a building occupant was found under burning debris, deputy fire chief Mario Rueda said. The body believed to be that of the pilot was found in the plane wreckage.

Authorities say seven people were injured on the ground. They believe the crash on June 6 was an accident.

The crash frightened Los Angeles residents and tourists who watched the plane sputter over the city before taking a nosedive into the building. The plane plunged through the two floors of apartment units to the ground-floor garage.

"All of a sudden, I heard a real loud swirling noise ... then a real loud bang and the whole apartment shook," said Will Binder, who lives in an adjacent apartment building.

"We heard the plane going around in circles and it started losing power... It hit. We saw black smoke," said Carlos Mancilla, 43, who was shopping with friends on Melrose Avenue when the plane crashed.

Three of the seven injured were taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. They included a man who was burned over 25 per cent of his body, fire chief William Bamattre said.

The building, which had 14 units, burned fiercely at first, but fire fighters had the blaze under control in about a half-hour. By then about half the building was gutted.

The crash occurred in Los Angeles' Fairfax district, a heavily Jewish area with quiet, older neighbourhoods and trendy shopping areas near West Hollywood.

Agencies