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

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 (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.”