At least 7 killed in Colorado plane crash

[CO Liberal]

I thought it was icy this morning when I was doing my daily drive from the Pueblo area to Colorado Springs. Now, I can see that it was also deadly. This crash took place a few miles from where I was this morning... - Wayne

* * * * *

At least 7 killed in Colorado plane crash

Wednesday, February 16, 2005 Posted: 1:27 PM EST (1827 GMT)


The plane's wreckage is seen
Wednesday in Pueblo, Colorado.

PUEBLO, Colorado (AP) -- A twin-engine plane crashed in freezing rain near the Pueblo airport Wednesday, killing at least seven people, officials said.

The Cessna Citation crashed just after 9 a.m. as it was approaching Pueblo Memorial Airport on a flight from Richmond, Virginia, said Mike Fergus of the Federal Aviation Administration in Seattle.

Pueblo County Sheriff Dan Corsentino told The Pueblo Chieftain eight people were on the plane and none survived. The FAA earlier said seven people died, and a spokesman couldn't immediately be reached to confirm the sheriff's report.

The plane was registered to Circuit City stores in Richmond, Virginia, and has a capacity of up to 10 passengers, Fergus said.

<more>

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/02/16/plane.crash.ap/index.html

[CO Liberal]

1. More Info From the Denver Post

Deadly plane crash in Pueblo

8 reported killed as turbojet approached airport

By Sean Kelly and Kim McGuire
Denver Post Staff Writers

A corporate jet crashed this morning upon approaching Pueblo Memorial Airport, killing all eight people on board - six passengers, the pilot and co-pilot.

The plane, based out of Richmond, Va., crashed at 9:13 a.m. in prairie land about 4 miles east of the Pueblo airport, according to the Federal Aviation Administration and Pueblo County sheriff's officials.

The Cessna 560 Citation, a twin-engine jet that holds up to 10 people, caught fire after the crash.

The plane was owned by the Circuit City electronics chain, according to registration records.

<more>

http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36~53~2714925,00.html

[CO Liberal]

12. Updated Info from The Denver Post

Killed were four employees of the Circuit City electronics-store chain, which owned the jet, along with two pilots and two flight-crew members, said Pueblo County Sheriff Dan Corsentino. There were no survivors.

<snip>

There was no immediate word on the cause of the crash, but Corsentino said two witnesses who live in the area said they heard a popping noise as the plane passed over their homes.

He said the jet was of two aircraft associated with Circuit City that were scheduled to land at the airport today, both ultimately bound for California. The second plane was about 10 minutes behind the crashed plane. It was re-routed to land at Pueblo from the south, he said.

The passengers on the second plane didn't learn of the crash until after landing. Corsentino said they were meeting with victims' advocates this afternoon.

<more>

http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36~53~2714925,00.html

[merh]

2. I wonder who was on board the flight.

Please keep us updated.

[CO Liberal]

3. According to Reports...

..there were at least four Circuit City employees that were not corporate officers. No info on any of the other passengers.

[CO Liberal]

4. From the Circuit City Web Site

Statement by Circuit City Stores, Inc.
RICHMOND, Va., Feb 16, 2005 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ --

Circuit City Stores, Inc. confirms that a plane registered to the company has crashed in Colorado. The plane carried eight passengers, four of whom were employees of the company. No officers of the company were on board. The company will not make further comment until it can notify the families.

SOURCE Circuit City Stores, Inc.

http://newsroom.circuitcity.com/ReleaseDetail.cfm?ReleaseID=156056

[diamond14]

6. PERKS...it's ski season in Colorado...refueling in Pueblo (and maybe

stopping into a Circuit City store, to write off the whole trip as 'business'...then onward to Aspen/Vail/Keystone/Breckenridge/Copper Mountain etc......


why are FOUR people on the plane who aren't even employees???

it's a BOONDOGGLE...

[CO Liberal]

7. Wives And/Or Girlfriends?

:shrug:

BTW, there IS a Circuit City store in Pueblo, just a few miles from the crash site.

[CO Liberal]

13. Updated Info

According to the Denver Post, there were eight people on the plane - four Circuit City employees, two pilots, and two flight attendants. None survived.

They were landing at Pueblo to refuel, along with another Circuit City plane. Both planes were headed for Irvine, California.

[CO Liberal]

16. The Four Non-Circuit City Employees....

...were the flight crew - two pilots and two flight attendants.

[diamond14]

19. "two flight attendants" for FOUR PASSENGERS...on a eight passenger plane?

that makes NO SENSE at all...bet those 'two flight attendants' were accompanying execs on their perky ski trip.....

[CO Liberal]

21. Nope

Pueblo was a refueling stop. It was one of two Circuit City planes headed for Irvine, California.

[merh]

5. Makes you wonder, does office depot have a plane or

walmart?

[smirkymonkey]

8. It's a sad state of affairs when my first thought upon hearing of

a plane crash is "What Democratic politicians and/or big name Liberals were on board."

:evilfrown:

[merh]

9. or phony ex-members of the press corp!

:shrug:

It is a sad day indeed.

I hate the bastards that are ruining my nation! :argh:

[intheflow]

10. Oh, CO Liberal!

My first thought was if it was my boyfriends plane! He flew out of Co Springs this morning heading to Phoenix, trajectory right over Pueblo. I'm relieved it wasn't his plane, bu tI feel anxious for the families who will learn their loved ones have died, and maybe hear it on the news, like I did.

I send many prayers out to the surviving family members!

[CO Liberal]

11. It's Been Icy Here All Day

And it's getting even icier. Looks like your boyfriend got out OK.

[DemoTex]

14. As an accident investigator, something screams at me from this picture.

POWER-LINES! Not good. Maybe just coincidence; maybe not.

[CO Liberal]

15. There Are a Lot of Power Lines Near That Airport

But they're far away from the runways.

Pueblo Memorial Airport is an old Army Air Base from WWII. They used to train people to fly B24s here. The runways are large enough to handle a 747 - AirForce One landed here when Clinton visited Pueblo in 1996.

[DemoTex]

17. I've re-fueled at Pueblo many times, back in my JetStar/Ken Lay days.

I seem to remember 12,000 foot runways. It is also fairly high, elevation-wise. I would not discount those power-lines at this point. If the Citation did indeed hit the power-lines, it was way too low for that segment of the approach. There are a lot of ways that could happen (especially in icing conditions).

[CO Liberal]

18. Any Plane That Hits Those Power Lines...

...is gonna fall way short of the runway.

[DemoTex]

20. Have you seen anything about how far from the runway it impacted?

I'm looking at a couple of power towers with a pile of burned metal between them, apparently. It is not a good picture and the depth-of-field could be misleading. However, there appears to be a fence this side of the crash site (airport boundary?).

The original article alludes to an Army "chemical" facility to the east of the airport. Have you ever seen it from the air? It is unbelievable. We always thought it was a nuke storage facility. Whatever it is, there is high-powered weaponry stored there. They must have crapped their pants when the klaxon went off this morning.

[CO Liberal]

22. About That Picture

Pueblo Memorial Airport is just east of the City of Pueblo. The Pueblo Chemical Depot is ten miles farther east. The crash occurred about midway between, on one of the private ranches between the two. Fortunately, no one on the ground was killed or injured.