An Aspen plane crash left one person dead and two others injured after a small plane exploded upon landing at the Aspen airport Sunday afternoon, reports The Associated Press via ABC News.
Pitkin County Sheriff's Office dispatcher Thomas Wright said one person was killed and two others injured – one severely and another passenger with moderate injuries.
Two celebrities, comedian Kevin Nealon and country singer LeAnn Rimes were both evidently at the Aspen/Pitkin County Airport near the Aspen ski resort area and tweeted about what they saw.
“Horrible plane crash here at Aspen airport," Nealon wrote. “Exploded into flames as it was landing. I think it was a private jet.”
Rimes tweeted: “So sad! Horrible plane crash we just saw happen at the Aspen airport.”
FAA spokesman Allen Kenitzer confirmed the plane was a twin-engine jet Bombardier Challenger 600 that was coming from Tucson, Arizona.
Weather conditions at the time of the crash, according to the National Weather Service in Boulder, were windy with west winds of 10 to 20 mph and gusts of around 30 mph. Sub zero temps were reported on the ground at Aspen.
The plane was carrying only three people. The names of those injured and the one person killed were not released. The cause of the crash is under investigation, although the weather appears to have played a part in the landing.
“The Aspen airport is known as a challenging place for pilots to land because of the mountains that surround the runway,” writes CNN. “The airport tarmac is often filled with private planes owned or chartered by the wealthy and famous who own vacation homes in the mountain resort community.”
