Planes collide in Colorado, killing 3

[kevind]

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/World/2010/ ... 31-ap.html

An airplane towing a glider collided with another plane Saturday afternoon in Colorado, sending the aircraft crashing to the ground and killing at least three people, authorities said.

One of the aircraft clipped the towline of a plane that had been pulling a glider, Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Laura Brown said.

The glider disconnected from the plane just before the second plane hit the tow rope, Boulder County sheriff’s office spokesman Rick Brough said.

“The two planes did collide, they caught fire midair and fell to the ground,” he said.

The glider landed safely — with no injuries to anyone on board — at a nearby airport just after the planes made impact, authorities said.

An amateur video shot at the scene showed a plane on fire, floating to the ground trailing thick, black smoke and a parachute.

One witness, Christian Sterner, said he saw two big balls of flames, including one attached to a parachute that fell slowly to the ground.

Brough said the parachute was designed to assist one of the aircrafts and was attached to plane wreckage, not a pilot or passenger.

Other witnesses reported smoldering wreckage in at least three areas on the prairie north of Boulder, which sits at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Aquina Rogers, a worker at a storage facility in the area, said she could see a wing in one of the wreckage fields.

NTSB field investigator Jennifer Rodi said the accident happened three miles northwest of Boulder Municipal Airport at about 1:30 p.m.

“We understand the glider went through a fireball after the impact,” she said.

The three dead came from both of the planes that crashed, Brough said. Authorities we’re trying to confirm how many people were flying in the planes

[Cougar]

It appears that the tow pilot was killed, along with all 4 persons aboard the Cirrus.

A very sad day for everyone in general aviation.

Condolences to the friends and family...


http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.actio ... 4978034488

[robbreid]

Aircraft falling on video is local based Cirrus SR-20 N825BC.

WARNING; though this is a CBS News video, it captures the SR-20 falling and impact.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/02/ ... 1509.shtml

[SeptRepair]

I sure hope those people died instantaneously on impact of the two aircraft.

[NJ]

Is this in controlled airspace?

[Big Pistons Forever]

What a horrible video. If there had been no fire it looked like the crash would have been survivable.

[ogc]

What a horrible video. If there had been no fire it looked like the crash would have been survivable.

Its scary to think what the people in that Cirrus may have had to go through.

[Cougar]

I apologize for my earlier post stating that 5 people were killed. That was wrong.

Three deaths is still such a tragedy... what a terrible accident. Here is a Denver Post article that has more witness statements in it.

So, so sad.

http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_14350792

[draggintails]

i couldnt even press play on the video when i saw the picture. thats horrific, all we can do is learn from this. my heart goes out to the families

[Hedley]

Please, people, if the recent hudson river corridor mid-air
didn't convince you, perhaps this will.

LOOK OUTSIDE

You may have square yards of high resolution colour graphic
displays inside the cockpit of your plastic nosewheel aircraft,
but that doesn't mean you don't have to LOOK OUTSIDE.

Every time I fly with a low-time pilot, they don't look before
they turn, and in general, their lookout is abysmal. What's
remarkable is that we don't have more mid-air collisions.

Please don't rely on ATC to keep you alive. Please don't
rely on your VHF comm radio to keep you alive around an
uncontrolled airport. LOOK OUTSIDE.