COLUMBIA, S.C. — A homeowner talks about the moments a plane crashed into her house on Wednesday morning.
"There's just some things life is not going to prepare you for," said Rebecca Munnerlyn.
On Wednesday she went to drop her mom off at the dentist. Since her mother was going to be there for a couple of hours, Munnerlyn decided to come back home to work on some other things.
When she was trying to figure out what she was going to tackle next, she hear a noise.
"It was just getting closer and louder and closer and louder. It was just very intense. Your mind kind of slows things do but I remember feeling the vibration and then feeling an impact, a big boom, and my whole house shook," explained Munnerlyn. "Then there was another boom, an even larger one that felt like it was not on top of me."
That boom was caused by a small plane crashing into her home. As Munnerlyn was standing up, her ceiling fell in.
She called 911 and began to notice flames in the backyard and then the house. Munnerlyn didn't see the plane but she had a feeling it was and told the operator a plane crashed on her home.
"My focus immediately turned to saving my pets and about that time, a neighbor was at my door saying, 'You need to get out. What can I do?' and I said help me get my pets."
Munnerlyn and her neighbor we able to save her pets and she was able to escape without any severe injuries. She only received scratches from her cat that she was trying to rescue from the burning home.
Munnerlyn says Wednesday's crash makes her look at life a little bit differently. She was also thankful her mother wasn't around when the crash happened.
"I'm probably going to get a little emotional if I go down that road but it makes you realize very quickly what's precious to you," said Munnerlyn. "It gives you a new perspective on how fleeting life can be. Hold onto your loved ones and seize the day and all of the clichés suddenly feel clearer and truer in that moment."
On Thursday, Richland County Coroner Naida Rutherford identified the pilot on the plane. She says 62-year-old Farhad Rostampour of Greenville was killed. He was the only person who was aboard the aircraft.
"My heart really goes out to the pilot's family. It's just such a tragedy," said Munnerlyn. "Talking to my neighbors, we really speculated that he must have tried his darndest to hit a clearing."
On Thursday, she's started to get her belongings out of her home so repairs can be done. She hopes to move back in soon.
While she knows there's going to be a road back to recovery, she's thankful to have the support of her family and her community.
"It just means the world to me to live on a great block with great people and a terrific neighborhood and I wouldn't change any of those things."
Munnerlyn says many people have reached out to her on how they can help at this time. She wants people to know that she's okay and they should help places like Harvest Hope to help support others in the community.
"I'm really fine. I have the strength of my family and friends around me and I have a place to sleep and food to eat and all of those things."