ARVADA, Colo. — Four people were taken to a hospital after their airplane crashed and caught fire Friday morning in an Arvada neighborhood.
Arvada Fire Protection District responded to the crash about 9:30 a.m. in the area of Oberon Road and Carr Street. Arvada Fire Operations Chief Matt Osier said at a news conference that the small, fixed-wing plane was on fire in the front yard of a home when crews arrived on scene.
Crews got the fire under control, and the flames did not spread to any homes in the area.
The four people who were on the aircraft were taken to a hospital, some in critical condition and some in serious condition. Two of them are adults, and authorities were trying to determine whether the other two are adults or juveniles, said Alex Lemishko, a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) inspector, at a news conference Friday afternoon.
Lemishko said the aircraft took off from Centennial Airport, experienced an engine problem en route to Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport in Broomfield, and attempted to land on a roadway.
The plane's left wing hit a tree before the plane crashed on the roadway and skidded to a stop in a front yard. The fire started after the crash, Lemishko said.
FlightAware showed the plane took off from Centennial Airport at 9:16 a.m. The aircraft is a 1969 Beechcraft V35A Bonanza, which is a fixed-wing, single-engine craft with six seats. The owner is based in Larimer County.
Small plane crashes in Arvada neighborhood
Evan Sherlock said he witnessed the crash scene: "I saw an airplane, and its wings were tilted side to side." He said the plane appeared to be dumping fuel.
"Next thing I know, you see a giant plume of smoke, and I was there within a minute," he said.
What he saw was the wreckage of the plane on fire in a front yard. A man was spraying the fire with a garden hose, and construction workers were running over to help.
> Video below: People recall the moment a small plane crashed in their Arvada neighborhood
Osier said the investigation will likely be extensive. NTSB will conduct the investigation.
Lemishko said the NTSB will be investigating on scene on Friday and possibly into Saturday morning. Afterward, the aircraft will be taken to a secure facility in Greeley for further investigation.
Watch the news conferences below:
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