Colorado Plane Crash Kills Three
A single-engine plane crashed near a mountain pass, killing three people and igniting a small wildfire, authorities said.
A helicopter responding to reports of smoke spotted the wreckage Saturday morning about 90 miles northwest of Denver and 20 miles southeast of Steamboat Springs, Routt County Sheriff John Warner said.
The helicopter crew reported seeing two bodies in the plane. Investigators who reached the wreckage after the wildfire was extinguished found the third body.
The victims had not been identified Saturday night, and investigators did not know where the plane’s flight originated. The crash was near the 9,400-foot Rabbit Ears Pass.
The plane’s tail number was unreadable because of the crash and fire, Warner said. Investigators found an engine number and were working with Federal Aviation Administration officials to identify the plane.
“There are no missing or overdue flights reported at this time,” Warner said.
FAA investigators in Seattle confirmed the accident but were unable to provide details. FAA and National Transportation Safety Board investigators were expected at the scene today.
A plane carrying four people crashed in the same area in December. Three people survived, but a 57-year-old woman died after she was pinned in the wreckage for nearly eight hours.
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