BROOMFIELD — Two people have died after a small airplane crashed in a park area in Anthem Ranch on Friday afternoon, according to a tweet from the North Metro Fire Rescue District.
Anthem Ranch is located at Lowell Boulevard and Highway 7 in Broomfield.
The victims - 58-year-old John Campbell and 20-year-old Tobias Campbell of Erie, Colorado - were found dead when emergency responders arrived, according to Sara Farris with North Metro Fire. They were the only two people on board.
Farris said authorities are still verifying where the plane was headed. Two small airports are nearby the site of the crash -- Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport and Erie Municipal Airport -- but Farris said authorities do not yet know if the plane came from one of them.
Jennifer Rodi, an investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), said witnesses saw the airplane flying from west to east. Witness said it was traveling fast and low, and it appeared to initiate a turn toward the Erie Municipal Airport ahead of crashing, Rodi said.
The area where the plane crashed is surrounded by residential neighborhoods, as well as trails where people walk their dogs and exercise.
"Fortunately there weren't more people involved," Farris said, adding that the pilot was able to negotiate the plane to avoid crashing into a nearby house.
Rodi said the NTSB will continue its investigation, but right now investigators are not sure where it departed from or what time it departed. A full report could take up to 18 months, but the NTSB will release information sooner if the safety of the traveling public is in jeopardy.
The National Transportation Safety Board was called to the scene and is continuing to investigate.