A man has died and a five-year-old girl is in a critical condition after an ultralight aircraft crashed into a house at Tyabb, near a regional airport in Melbourne’s south-east.

Emergency services were called to the scene of the crash after the aircraft came down in a front garden on Seaview Road in Mornington Peninsula, just after 5:30pm on Sunday.

Police said the plane crashed into the house, but no-one was inside at the time.

Paramedics arrived moments after the accident but could not revive the 44-year-old man, who was declared dead at the scene.

However, they treated the girl at the scene until she was airlifted to the Royal Children’s Hospital.

Police said it is not known why the plane crashed and it’s lucky nobody else was injured.

According to ABC, a neighbour, who witnessed the crash, said the aircraft was headed towards the Tyabb airport runway when it came down.

“I heard the plane very, very low over the house,” the witness said.

“I looked out the window and could see it was turning on the side – it was very low. I grabbed the phone, dialled triple-0 as I raced out of the house, and I heard the crash.”

Crash investigators were preparing a report for the corner.