Two Dead In Centennial Plane Crash
Pilot Reported Trouble On Takeoff
POSTED: 9:21 pm MST December 10, 2004
UPDATED: 9:52 pm MST December 10, 2004
DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colo. -- Two people are dead in the crash of a twin-engine turboprop plane near the south end of Centennial Airport.
The pilot had just cleared the runway when he radioed that he had an emergency and was attempting to return the airport. The aircraft slammed into a parking lot of the Meridian Office Park, slid into a field and burst into flames, according to Tim Moore, a spokesman for the Douglas County Sheriff's Office..
Moore identified the plane as a Mitsubishi MU-2, a type of aircraft used by businesses for light cargo.
The accident happened shortly before 8 p.m. about a half mile from the airport.
A pilot who landed just before the accident told reporters he heard the radio conversation between the plane and the tower.
"He said, 'I need to shut an engine down, roll the trucks'" Mike Postel said, referring to the pilot's request for emergency crews to meet the plane at the runway. That conversation indicated that the pilot was apparently going to attempt an emergency landing with only one engine.
A small fire broke out in the rear of the plane when it crashed, but a large part of the aircraft remained intact.
Debbie Taylor of the Federal Aviation Administration's Emergency Operations center in Seattle, identified the flight as Americheck Flight 900. It was unclear where it was heading.