The wreckage of a single-engine Piper Cherokee lies on a residential street in Henderson, Nev., on Monday. (KTNV via APTN/Associated Press)

A small plane with four people aboard crashed and burst into flames on a street in a southern Nevada residential neighbourhood Monday, killing one person and badly injuring three others.

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Sgt. John Sheahan said two males and two females were aboard the single-engine Piper Cherokee when it crashed in Henderson, just south of Las Vegas. He said it was a miracle no one on the ground was injured.

"I think we can attribute that to the pilot trying to put it down in a safe place," he said, adding the plane crashed six to nine metres from the nearest home.

The debris field is a block long, and one of the wings ended up in the backyard of a home, Sheahan said.

Police Lt. Joe Ojeda told the Las Vegas Sun that residents pulled two occupants from the burning wreckage before firefighters arrived. The two were conscious at the time, he said.

"It appeared the way the aircraft was lined up that he did try to land on the road itself," Ojeda said. "On first blush, it looks like he did try to do some kind of manoeuvre to get down as safely as he could."

The injured, whose identities were not released, were taken to University Medical Center with life-threatening burns and trauma. Hospital spokeswoman Danita Cohen said two were listed in serious condition and one in critical condition.

Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said the plane took off from Henderson Executive Airport shortly after 8 a.m. local time and was unable to gain altitude. The pilot tried to return to Henderson, but crashed about three kilometres northwest of the airport.

No flight plan was filed and the destination of the plane wasn't immediately known. The aircraft was registered to a Louisiana resident.