A small-sized aircraft went down in front of a home yard, barely 5 minutes after the flight start from Centennial Airport, killing the pilot, according to South Metro Fire Rescue. The accident occurred around 4:33 a.m. in South Billings Way, close East Arapahoe Road and South Jordan Road, that is 2 miles northeast of Centennial Airport.
The accident will be investigated by The National Transportation Safety Board. Experts with the Board have already been called in to examine the scene of the crash. As a result, the perimeter of the collision is off limits for the time being.
Authorities say the plane landed about 10 feet from the home’s front entryway. A photograph from the scene revealed a distorted, blazing shipwreck. Becky O’Guinn, a representative for South Metro declared that the airplane hit the ground only several feet from a few houses.
According to O’Guinn, the small aircraft, a Cessna 404, was surrounded by flames when the rescue team arrived to the place of the accident. Firemen doused the blast within ten to fifteen minutes.
A resident of one of the nearby houses, Julie Pfannenstein said she was scared as she heard the plane passing by because it seemed to be coming at a very low altitude. She added that even if she lives close to an airplane terminal and sees aircrafts passing all the time this one was approaching so low that she had to hold her breath in fear. In fact, Pfannenstein was awoken by the noise made by the plane and she was convinced the airplane was going to crash into her home. She felt at ease when her house was spared.
Flightaware.com, a flight tracking website got the whole incident on tape and showed a Cessna 404 which took off from Centennial Airport at 4:27 a.m. heading to Denver International Airport. The online platform’s recording displays the airship as it was falling from radar close to the accident site. Additional footage was released by an anonymous resident of the neighborhood.
Flightaware registered the airplane as being part of the Key Lime Air fleet, a freight and passenger transport organization, headquartered at Centennial Airport. The company rents airships for cargo and travelers transport in the Caribbean, North and South America. Key Lime Air representatives declined make any remarks on Tuesday morning’s event.
According to the company’s website, Key Lime is committed to safety as a top priority when it comes to aircrafts, pilot preparation and operational and upkeep programs.
Image Source: USA Today