A pilot whose plane crashed possibly after a midair collision with another aircraft was conscious when people ripped off the door of her Cessna 180 to pull her to safety, but authorities said two people in the other plane were killed.
The crashes of the single-engine planes north of Denver Friday reported about five minutes and six miles (10 kilometres) apart are being investigated as a possible midair collision, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Mike Fergus said.
The two people who died appeared to be males and were believed to be an instructor pilot and a student in a Cessna 172 that crashed about a half mile (800 meters) from a Walmart south-east of Longmont. "The tail end is literally in the nose of the plane," said Dustin Nelson, an oilfield services company who rushed to the scene after hearing the crash.
The survivor crashed within sight of the Vance Brand Airport runway in Longmont after clipping four overhead power lines. She was treated at a hospital and released, police said. The clipped lines caused 132 customers to temporarily lose power. "It actually probably saved her because those lines reduced the impact into the ground," Longmont police Cmdr. Tim Lewis said. "The pilot did an excellent job of clearing the roadway and avoiding people who were picnicking and watching airport operations." The engine separated from her plane on impact. One wing was crumpled and the tail was bent.
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