Boulder County Sheriff’s Deputy Joshua Bonafede said two planes collided Saturday morning. A plane was found about 30 miles northwest of downtown Denver. According to NBC affiliate 9 News, the other plane was found a few blocks away. At approximately 8:50 A.M. local time, a single-engine Cessna 172 and a second aircraft collided and crashed near Vance Brand Airport in Longmont, a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman told the Washington Post in an email. Two people were aboard the Cessna 172, the FAA spokesman said. The National Transportation Safety Board said on Twitter that it is investigating a collision between a Cessna 172 and a plane it identified as a Sonex Xenos in Longmont, Colo. “The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate,” the FAA spokesman said. “The NTSB will be responsible for the investigation and will provide additional updates.” The Cessna 172, also known as the Skyhawk, is one of the most popular airplanes in the world. It can seat four and is commonly used in flight training. Mid-air collisions are rare, with fewer than 30 occurring in the United States in a typical year. They almost always involve small private planes or military vessels, not commercial jets, and are usually the result of human error, such as communication or navigation problems. Under federal aviation regulations, private pilots are required to “see and avoid” other aircraft flying in the area near them and must follow takeoff and landing procedures closely. Collisions are more likely in densely populated areas with heavy traffic. Mountain View Fire Rescue, which serves the area, confirmed the three deaths and asked people to avoid the Niwot area, northeast of Boulder. Two small planes collide over a California airport, killing many people Police had closed off some roads in the area, Bonafede told the Washington Post. “It’s still very early in the investigation,” Bonafede said, adding that federal investigators were “on their way.” Praveena Somasundaram contributed to this report.
