Denver plane collision kills four
Posted on 01/25/2003 6:53:04 AM PST by MeekOneGOP
Denver plane collision kills four
01/25/2003
DENVER - Two small planes collided and crashed into a northwest neighborhood Friday, killing four people in the aircraft and injuring seven on the ground.
There were no survivors on either plane, Denver Manager of Safety Tracy Howard said. Crews were still searching for other possible victims.
A twin-engine plane crashed into a yard, narrowly missing a house and garage. Two people died in that plane, Mr. Howard said.
Two people aboard the other plane, a single-engine aircraft, were killed when it crashed into a house, fire officials said. "That plane blew up. It disintegrated," police spokeswoman Virginia Lopez said.
It was not clear whether anyone was in the house when it was hit.
Six people in the neighborhood, including a 2-year-old, suffered minor injuries from flying debris, said Bev Lilly of St. Anthony Central Hospital. They were in good condition. A firefighter also suffered minor injuries.
The Federal Aviation Administration identified the planes as a twin-engine Piper Cheyenne II and a Cessna 172 Skyhawk.
Arnold Scott, a spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board, told KCNC-TV the Cessna was bound for Cheyenne, Wyo., from Centennial Airport in Denver. The Piper left Jefferson County Airport northwest of Denver and was bound for Centennial Airport.
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 (AP Photo) |
5 Killed As Planes Collide in Denver
Two Small Planes Crash in Denver Neighborhood, Killing Five and Injuring Six on the Ground
The Associated Press |
Shards of airplane metal and house siding lay scattered across an eight-block area Saturday after two small planes crashed, killing all five people aboard and injuring six on the ground as debris rained down on homes and streets. One plane spiraled into a yard after the collision Friday evening, snapping a tree limb and coming to a rest just steps from the backdoor of a two-story home. The other, a single-engine Cessna 172 Skyhawk, just missed a 12-story senior citizens' apartment building before crashing into a house about a half-mile from the Denver Broncos' football stadium. Police evacuated four residents from the home before it exploded, apparently from fuel from the plane mixing with natural gas. Saturday morning, only the plane's tail could be seen poking through what remained of the roof. The house below was flattened. "It disintegrated," police spokeswoman Virginia Lopez said. A 2-year-old boy and five other people on the ground were hurt by flying debris, but none of their injuries was considered serious, authorities said. The identities of the victims were not immediately released. Maureen Ulevich was walking her dog about 5 p.m. when she heard a loud bang and looked up to see a plane falling. "It looked to me like the left wing had fire and smoke. It was sort of spiraling down toward the ground, not nose down but sort of flat," she said. "It looked as if there was fire in the engine." National Transportation Safety Board investigators were on the scene of the crash Friday night, and police closed off neighborhood streets to search for debris from the planes. Aviation officials said the Cessna, with two people on board, was bound for Cheyenne, Wyo., from Centennial Airport in suburban southeast Denver. The other plane, a twin-engine Piper Cheyenne II with three people, took off from Jefferson County Airport northwest of Denver and was bound for Centennial Airport.
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