On Sunday, August 31, two small planes collided while attempting to land at an airport in Colorado, United States, resulting in one fatality and three injuries.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported that around 10:40 a.m. on Sunday, a Cessna 172 aircraft was preparing to land at Fort Morgan Municipal Airport in Colorado when it collided with an “Extra Flugzeugbau EA300” aircraft in midair.
Fort Morgan is located about 80 miles northeast of Denver and falls under the jurisdiction of Morgan County.
Jon Horton, the Deputy Sheriff of Morgan County Sheriff’s Office, stated that each of the two small planes had two people on board at the time of the incident. One person aboard the “Extra Flugzeugbau EA300” aircraft was killed, another was taken to the hospital with undisclosed injuries. The two individuals on the Cessna plane only suffered minor injuries and left the airport after receiving treatment.
The Cessna plane was in the final approach to the runway when it was struck by the EA 300 aircraft in the air.
Horton mentioned that the EA 300 hit the Cessna, resulting in both planes crashing and catching fire.
In the afternoon, remnants of the burnt aircraft could still be seen beside the runway. Tire marks were left on the runway, with one aircraft’s wing still lying on the runway, which had not been cleared hours after the accident occurred.
Personnel from the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office, Fort Morgan Police Department, Colorado State Patrol, Fort Morgan Fire Department, and Morgan County Ambulance Squad all rushed to the scene of the accident.
The plane crash incident prompted the closure of Fort Morgan Municipal Airport.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released a statement saying that they have initiated an investigation, and investigators are set to arrive at the scene on Monday afternoon.
The identities of the deceased victim have not been disclosed, and the identities of the injured parties remain unknown at this time.
In a statement, the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office expressed condolences to the families and friends of those involved in this tragic event and thanked the citizens who assisted in extinguishing the fire before the arrival of the fire department and emergency responders.