Forum Views ()
Forum Replies ()
Read more with google mobile :
Authorities: 2 planes collide in Colorado; 3 die
Yahoo!
My Yahoo!
Mail
More Yahoo! Services
Account Options
New User? Sign Up
Sign In
Help
Yahoo! Search
web search
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Africa
Europe
Latin America
Middle East
North America
Authorities: 2 planes collide in Colorado; 3 die
By SAMANTHA ABERNETHY,Associated Press Writer -
Monday, February 8
Send
IM Story
Print
BOULDER, Colo. – Two small planes collided in flames over Boulder's outskirts and killed all three people aboard, while a glider under tow by one aircraft cut loose and flew through the fireball to safety, officials and witnesses said.
Three people were aboard the glider that managed to disconnect from a Piper Pawnee as a Cirrus SR20 clipped the tow line an instant before the two planes collided, Boulder County sheriff's office spokesman Rick Brough said.
Both aircraft plummeted toward the ground but the glider landed safely with no injuries to anyone on board.
"We understand the glider went through a fireball after the impact," said NTSB field investigator Jennifer Rodi.
The crash occurred about 1:30 p.m. Saturday near the Boulder Municipal Airport over a suburban area dotted with homes and businesses. No one on the ground was injured.
"We heard a loud bang and looked up in the air and we saw what looked like a glider and big, black smoke right next to it," Paul Aiken told Boulder's Daily Camera. "It looked like fireworks, the explosion."
The Denver Post quoted Sue Patton, 53, as saying she saw two people plunge out of a plane.
"The plane was burning really strong," she said. "They really didn't have a choice."
Rob Zimmerman, who was outside nearby American Legion Post 10, told the paper he saw one person come from the aircraft.
The pilot of the glider was Ruben Bakker, according to his mother-in-law Deborah Tjarks, who spoke to The Associated Press. She said he saw the collision about to happen and released the glider and banked but still flew through the flames. Bakker did not immediately return a call for comment.
Brough said the Piper Pawnee with only a pilot aboard belonged to Mile High Gliding Inc. and had just taken off from the Boulder airport with the glider in tow.
A woman who answered the phone at the glider company declined to comment.
The other plane, a single-engine, four-seat Cirrus SR20, was carrying two people. It was unclear where the Cirrus took off. Tail numbers were not immediately available.
Brough said the identifications of the victims were being determined by the coroner's office.
Brough said there was initial concern that others were aboard the Cirrus because of its number of seats but investigators were now "pretty certain" there were just the two aboard.
Gliders, or sailplanes, are lightweight aircraft that are often towed into the sky, then released to glide to the ground.
Patton said she watched as one of the planes spiraled downward with a plume of black smoke billowing from it and a parachute deployed.
"It was kind of a slow-motion thing," Patton said. "It was surreal."
An amateur video shot at the scene also showed a plane on fire, floating to the ground trailing thick, black smoke and a parachute.
Brough said the parachute was designed to deploy if a plane was disabled and was attached to the plane's wreckage, not a pilot or passenger.
The crash spread debris over a 1 1/2 mile region, scorching several sections of prairie in the Rocky Mountain foothills.
It wasn't immediately known how the Cirrus got close enough to the Piper Pawnee to clip its towline.
The News Tribune in Duluth, Minn., the region where the Cirrus is manufactured, quoted Joan Pallone, of Broomfield, Colo., as saying her brother-in-law, Bob Matthews, and his brother, Mark Matthews, were on the Cirrus. She said they're from the Boulder area.
___
Associated Press writer P. Solomon Banda contributed to this report from Denver
Recommend
Send
IM Story
Print
Related Articles
Britain to tighten student visa requirements AP - 1 hour 58 minutes ago
LA foothill suburbs dig out after mudslides AP - 2 hours 8 minutes ago
1 dead, 4 wounded in San Francisco shooting AP - 2 hours 8 minutes ago
Officials: Some die in Conn. power plant explosion AP - 2 hours 4 minutes ago
Israeli forces detain pro-Palestinian activists AP - 2 hours 19 minutes ago
News Search
Top Stories
Geithner confident investors will stick by US bonds
Poor weather delays US shuttle launch
Britain's Mandelson attacks EU on banking reform
US shuttle Endeavour launch delayed
G7 preoccupied with eurozone debt, China 'bubble'
More Top Stories »
ADVERTISEMENT
Most Popular
Most Viewed
Most Recommended
G7 preoccupied with eurozone debt, China 'bubble'
JPMorgan's chief reaps 16-million-dollar bonus
Jackson doctor to be charged Monday: prosecutors
BAE to pay 450 million dollars in fraud fines
Mixed report shows US loses 20,000 jobs, unemployment dips
More Most Viewed »
Fury heats up after new AIG bonuses
More Most Recommended »
Elsewhere on Yahoo!
Financial news on Yahoo! Finance
Stars and latest movies
Best travel destinations
More on Yahoo! News
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Subscribe to our news feeds
Top StoriesMy Yahoo!RSS
» More news feeds | What are news feeds?
Also on Yahoo
Answers
Groups
Mail
Messenger
Mobile
Travel
Finance
Movies
Sports
Games
» All Yahoo! Services
Site Highlights
Singapore
Full Coverage
Most Popular
Asia Entertainment
Photos
Copyright © 2010 Yahoo! Southeast Asia Pte. Ltd. (Co. Reg. No. 199700735D). All Rights Reserved.
Terms of Service |
Privacy Policy |
Community |
Intellectual Property Rights Policy |
Help
Other News on Monday, 8 February 2010 Actor in Israel's Oscar nominated movie detained
Geithner confident investors will stick by US bonds
Lebanon recovers crashed Ethiopian jet's black box
Taliban, NATO prepare for big Helmand offensive
|
Afghan assault to send 'strong signal': McChrystal
Iran tests radar-evading aircraft says commander
|
Iraq delays parliament debate on candidates row
Ukraine Tymoshenko's team cries foul before polls close
|
Israeli forces arrest two foreigners in West Bank
Afghan leader eyes return to conscript army
Iran leader orders new step in nuclear program
NATO chief seeks broader ties with China, India
An engineering marvel takes shape near Hoover Dam
Fifth victim identified in fatal RI fire
Officials: Some die in Conn. power plant explosion
Battle to electrify Kandahar shows Afghan dilemma
Researchers target whales in herring loss study
Hundreds flee south Afghan town ahead of offensive
Gibbons to deliver emergency State of State
Pakistanis doubt Taliban chiefs in Baluchistan
Al-Qaeda threat to US greater than Iran: Clinton
Afghanistan's NATO head: Military push needs gov't
US faces `serious and significant' cyberthreats
China 'jails porn website operator for 13 years'
Obama adviser: Stop criticizing anti-terror effort
Pakistani military seizes Taliban stronghold in NW
Authorities: 2 planes collide in Colorado; 3 die
India flight delayed after tip alleges terror
Obama adviser confident in Super Bowl security
Sri Lanka army denies plan to arrest former chief
Television executive shot to death in Nepal
Toyota loses some luster in hometown over recalls
Avatar loses box office crown to Dear John
|
US-ENTERTAINMENT Summary
"Avatar" dethroned at box office by "Dear John"
'Dear John' bumps 'Avatar' with $32.4M debut
Rihanna's celebrates, BEPs party late
Florez and his 9 high C's return to Met Opera
All eyes on Ellen in "American Idol" judge debut
Iraq MPs to meet over 'Saddam' candidates row
ETA seeking to move bomb-making to Portugal: Madrid
China shuts down largest hacker training website
Opposition's Yanukovich claims win in Ukraine poll
|
Saints go marching in with Super Bowl win over Colts
Defiant Iran set to begin higher enrichment of uranium
French police evacuate migrants' shelter
China seizes more melamine-tainted milk powder
|
PayPal temporarily suspends some India services
Yanukovich set to win Ukraine presidency: exit polls
Iran ratchets up atom work despite sanctions threat
US faces 'serious' cyberspace threats: advisor
Haiti protesters denounce aid corruption, hoarding
|
Israeli forces detain pro-Palestinian activists
Internet down in Iran ahead of demos
Argentine ex-Pres Kirchner has emergency surgery
|
Iran leader orders new step in nuclear program
Iran plans 10 new enrichment plants in 2010/11
|
Envoys go to North Korea for nuclear talks push
|
Costa Rica elects Chinchilla first woman president
|
High-profile U.S. case tests Haitian justice system
|
Iran tests radar-evading aircraft
NASA fuels space shuttle 2nd time, clouds back
NKorea threatens South amid push to restart talks
CIT names ex-Merrill CEO Thain as chairman, CEO
Activists want fair trial in Japan whaling case
China finds 170 more tons of tainted milk powder
CAPITAL CULTURE: First lady tackling child obesity
IBM begins Power server upgrade to battle HP, Sun
|
Taiwan firm on China ties after US arms deal
Cops attack homegrown gang in Calif heartland
NetEase suspends new user registration for hit game
|
Obama hasn't ruled out NY trial for 9/11 planner
Cowboy theme at American base in Afghanistan
China shuts down largest hacker training website
|
NY Gov. Paterson meets with lawmakers over future
Amazon reshelves Macmillan titles but not e-books
|
Obama in Super Bowl health care gambit
Singapore rite looks painful, yet smiles abound
Malaysia: Anwar wants sodomy trial judge removed
'Historic' snow strands countless in Mid-Atlantic
Weather forecast for the Asia-Pacific region
AP NewsAlert
2,000 hit by Papua cholera outbreak: WHO
Eight Vietnamese reported drowned
Kirin, Suntory scrap plans to combine
Pakistan stocks up; volume low after Friday bombs
Disgraced Lee returns to Olympics fold
JAL to stay with American Airlines: reports
PAKISTAN
Japan's Kirin terminates merger talks with Suntory
Seoul shares close lower on banks, Kumho issues
S.Korea KDIC to offer shares in Korea Life via IPO
Taiwan dollar rebounds sharply
S.Korea bonds steady ahead of auctions
South Africans celebrate Mandela, worry about future
Townshend, Daltrey are still The Who at Super Bowl
NBC considers lifting Emmys tape delay
Daughtry brings Saints, Colts fans together
The Who perform hits medley at Super Bowl halftime
|
"Valentine's Day" a date to forget
Cockfighting survives Haiti's earthquake devastation
France vaunts '40 virtues' of Armagnac
Private schools sprout in Zimbabwe as public system struggles
'Dear John' dethrones box office king 'Avatar'
Valentine's Day a date to forget
|
Iran plans major nuclear expansion over next year
|
Riding green wave, Philips says "let there be LED"
NetEase suspends new user registration for hit game
Iran plans major nuclear expansion over next year
U.S. and EU fear fresh government crackdown in Iran
|
Iran's leader vows to thwart protests this week
Yemen's al Qaeda calls for jihad in region: report
|
Israeli police raid Palestinian refugee camp
|
Saudi rights commission seeks divorce for child bride
Fifteen Indian soldiers killed in Kashmir avalanche
|
Iran launches production lines for unmanned planes
Taliban defiant as Afghans flee ahead of assault
China patents surge in 2009 as U.S. filings plunge
|
Iran plans 10 new enrichment plants in 2010/11
UK Afghan death toll matches Falklands loss
|
Barnes & Noble's Nook e-reader to hit stores
|
US shuttle Endeavour blasts off for space station
Disney, Google eye stake in China bus media firm
|
Bomb hits trucks carrying Thai soldiers; 7 wounded
Failed job seekers add to homeless problem in ND
Taiwan court extends ex-leader's custody
Charlie and Brooke Sheen due in court Monday
Tainted milk powder still on sale in China: report
Internet prompts the publishing itch in over-60s
|
China bus with 43 aboard plunges down valley: report
Riding green wave, Philips says let there be LED
|
Body found in airplane wheel well at Tokyo airport
5 men, 1 woman aboard shuttle Endeavour
Vodafone Enterprise signs 4-year Oracle deal
|
Sri Lanka journalists hold anti-government protest
Obama's Monday filled with meetings
Intel Israel exports jump 145 pct, seeks grant for expansion
|
US shuttle Endeavour reaches orbit
11 soldiers dead, 50 trapped in Kashmir avalanche
NKorea threatens South amid push to restart talks
Official: About 5 unaccounted for after CT blast
Thailand tightens security ahead of Thaksin ruling
Doctor finally looks at charge in Jackson death
LA-area cleans up from storms, new round coming
Senior Afghan official accused of militant links
Chinese police shut down hacker training business
Taiwan exports surge 76 percent in January
Sumitomo Mitsui triples nine-month profit
India sees 7.2 percent growth as economy recovers
Ex-NFL star Sapp released from Fla. jail on bond
Hyundai boss made to pay fine over losses to firm
Gary Coleman scheduled for Utah court appearance
The black magic of Massive Attack's new album
Google warns Chinese copycat website: report
Charlie and Brooke Sheen due in court
Berlin film fest looks back at 60 years of scandal
Toyota faces fresh questions over recall response
Pakistan's Soneri Bank says eyes RBS Pakistan
Hollywood names up for Olivier theatre awards
|
The Who perform hits medley at Super Bowl halftime
Bleak outlook for Iraq's lonely hearts
UAE hospital offers treatment that's for the birds
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights