*Updated on June 10, 2024, at 12:40 p.m.:
A small plane crashed in the front yard of an Arvada home on Friday morning around 9:30 a.m. One person is dead the Jefferson County coroner said Monday.
There have been no updates as to the identities of those in the crash.
According to reports, the plane hit a fence and a tree at Oberon Road and Balsam Street before crashing and ending up in the front yard of a home at the corner of Oberon Road and Brentwood Drive. The one-engine plane had taken off from Centennial Airport.
All four people on the plane were taken to a hospital Friday following the crash.
Witnesses of the crash said that neighbors helped pull people out of the plane.
One such witness told CPR, “I pointed it out thinking it was … just low flying, trying to show off or something. It just ended up being something completely different.
“As soon as it hit the ground, it flamed up, it went into pieces,” the witness added. “ … As soon as I arrived to the scene, I seen the bodies on the floor, unfortunately.”
Images from the Arvada PD show fire and smoke coming from the plane; however, according to FOX31, the smoke appeared to be out by 10 a.m.
Just before 9:30 a.m., Air Traffic Control recordings said that a Beechcraft Bonanza N150WR called into a tower in Jefferson County to report a low oil pressure light coming on.
“I’ve got an oil light on—losing pressure. Can I get on the ground, please, sir?” the pilot asked. The pilot added that four people were aboard and the plane had 80 gallons of fuel.
Then, a few minutes later, the pilot called back, saying “I’m losing power quickly. I might have to put it down somewhere ... I don’t know what to do. I’m going to put it down ... I’m trying to find a field or a park. I’ve got something in sight. I don’t know where I am."
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will investigate the crash.
"He was having some sort of engine issues and he was going to try to make Rocky Mountain Airport. As you can see, he didn't make Rocky Mountain Airport," said Alex Lemishko, an investigator with the NTSB.
The NTSB has removed all plane debris from the street and yard of the Arvada home and is taking it to a secure location in Greeley, to begin the investigation.
"They're going to take the engine from the crash site, and they're going to put it at a secured location and go into it in much more depth to see exactly what caused, potentially what caused this mechanical failure in the aircraft," said Chad Kendall, an aviation professor at Metropolitan State University of Denver.
"They look at the aircraft itself. They're going to look at the maintenance history of the aircraft. They're going to look at the mechanical records of the airplane. They look at the operation of the aircraft, that includes the pilot, that includes the weather," Kendall added.
The NTSB said in a statement that it will review "flight track data, recordings of any air traffic control communications, weather forecasts, and actual weather and lightning conditions around the time of the accident."
In addition, the agency will also look into the "pilot's license, ratings, and recency of flight experience." Witness statements and any electronic devices will be taken that could contain information relevant to the investigation.
*This is an ongoing story and will be updated accordingly. Refresh for the latest!
