Posted: 22:00, 17 September 2022 | Updated: 01:50, 18 September 2022
Three people were killed Saturday when two small planes collided mid-air over Boulder County, Colorado, plunging into an open field and leaving two separate crash sites, local authorities said.
Shortly before 9 a.m., police “received multiple emergency calls” from witnesses who saw the two aircraft collide about 30 miles north of Denver, the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
Aerial footage shows the moment first responders arrived at the crash site where one of the planes was wrecked in the middle of an open field while the other landed in nearby trees.
When first responders arrived at the scene, both occupants of the plane were dead, police said.
The pilot of the second plane, who was the sole occupant, was also dead when emergency crews arrived at the wreckage.
Two small aircraft collided mid-air over Boulder County, Colorado, on Saturday morning. Pictured: First responders arrive at the scene of one of the crashes
One of the planes crashed into a field, while the other, (above) crashed into nearby trees
The plane in the field (above) had two people on board, both of whom died in the crash. The collision also killed the sole passenger of the second plane
None of the victims were immediately identified.
Sean Tufts, who called 911 as he watched one of the planes go down, noted that there was no explosion from the crash.
“She looked like she was in trouble, [be]because planes don’t fall straight down,” Tufts told KDVR. “There was no fireball, nothing, it just crumpled.”
Cary Hayes, who lives across the street from where one of the planes crashed on Niwot Road, said she heard the crash from her home and learned what happened from a neighbor who saw it.
‘It’s scary. It’s very scary,” Hayes told KDVR. “It happened right across the street from my house.”
The two aircraft were a Cessna 172 and a Sonex Xenos, the National Transportation Safety Board said as it investigates the cause of the crash
None of the three crash victims were immediately identified
The two aircraft were a Cessna 172 and a Sonex Xenos, the National Transportation Safety Board said in a statement, adding that investigators are investigating what led to the crash.
The Sonex Xenos is a home-built aluminum light aircraft, according to the company’s website. The Cessna 172 Skyhawk is a single-engine, four-seat airplane.
The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement that the planes collided near Vance Brand Airport, a general aviation airport in Longmont, Colorado.
