Aspen Plane Crash Leaves 1 Dead, 2 Injured
On Sunday Jan. 5, the Aspen-Pitkin County Airport was been shut down due to a crash involving a private plane. According to Fox News, the aircraft crashed onto the runway while attempting to land.
The Pitkin County Colorado Sheriff’s Office reported that one of the three passengers on the plane was killed, while the other occupants sustained substantial injuries.
One of the reported survivors suffered major injuries, while the other survivor’s injuries were minor. The Aspen Airport also tweeted the notification of the airport’s abrupt closure.
The Federal Aviation Administration stated that the twin-engine jet departed from Tucson, AR. The Canadair Challenger 601 crashed at approximately 12:30 p.m., according to the Aviation Safety Network site’s reports.
Fox News also reports that Jay Sills, who was actually a bystander driving in close vicinity of the airport at the time of the crash, stated that site was “pretty gusty” when the plane made its second attempt to land. Sills also shared an account of what he saw.
“I just saw the smoke, and when I came around the corner, the plane was flipped over,” Sills said.
A private aircraft has crashed at the Aspen Airport. Emergency vehicles are on scene. The airport is closed until further notice.
— Aspen Airport (@FlyAspenAirport) January 5, 2014
A number of spectators who actually witnessed the crash took a moment to weigh in on the devastating accident. Country singer Leann Rimes, and former Saturday Night Lights actor-comedian Kevin Nealon were among those who witnessed the terrible crash. However, Rimes and Nealon took to Twitter to share their accounts of the accident.
So sad! Horrible plane crash we just saw happen at the Aspen airport.
— leann rimes cibrian (@leannrimes) January 5, 2014
Horrible plane crash here at Aspen airport. Exploded into flames as it was landing. I think it was a private jet.
— Kevin Nealon (@kevin_nealon) January 5, 2014
Aspen is located approximately 100 miles southwest of Denver, near the Rocky Mountains. No further details have been released, and the airport has remained closed until further notice.
