Updated 2:33p.m. ET: LONGMONT, Colo. – Two small planes crashed within minutes of each other in Longmont on Friday, killing at least two people, authorities told local media.
The Longmont Times-Call reported the planes collided in the air over the southeast part of town, sending one aircraft spiraling to the ground and the other clipping a power line before crashing near the airport west of town.
Longmont Police Cmdr. Tim Lewis was quoted by KMGH-TV as saying the planes crashed seven miles and five minutes apart. FAA spokesman Mike Fergus told The Associated Press the crashes were being investigated as a possible midair collision.
Lewis said at least two people died in one of the planes, a Cessna Skyhawk.
Authorities said the other plane, a single-prop aircraft, clipped a power line before it came down. The pilot, a woman, was the only person aboard, according to the Times-Call. She survived and was taken to a hospital, the newspaper said.
Kim Johnson, a private pilot who was bicycling along an area road, said he heard one of the planes “throttle up” before the crash. He said that plane was missing part of a wing when it hit the ground. The other plane appeared to be missing one of its wheels.
The identities of the dead people weren’t immediately known.
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