2 Survive After Small Plane Attempts Emergency Landing on Highway and Crashes into Colorado Creek
The twin-engine plane took off from Englewood, Colorado, on June 16 before crashing less than a half hour later, officials said
Douglas County Sheriff's Office/X
A pilot and a passenger were hospitalized after their small airplane attempted to land on the highway and crashed into a field near an interstate in Colorado, authorities said.
Multiple agencies responded to the crash, which occurred just east of Larkspur shortly before 8 a.m. on Sunday, June 16, according to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.
The plane, a twin-engine Tecnam P2006T, hit a sign on Interstate 25, which caused it to veer off to the east and crash. It came to rest upside-down in thick brush in the East Plum Creek drainage, CBS affiliate KCNC-TV reported.
Emergency personnel waded through waist-deep water to rescue the two victims, who were then taken to a local hospital, per the DCSO.
Related: 2 Dead After World War II-Era Plane Crashes During Father’s Day Event
The accident resulted in “a small fuel leak” of about 30-40 gallons of unleaded fuel, which the Colorado State Patrol’s HAZMAT unit worked to clean up, per KCNC.
According to the Denver Gazette, the plane departed Centennial Airport in Englewood at approximately 7:35 a.m. Tower controllers were unable to communicate with the aircraft shortly after it took off, and they relied on other planes in the area to locate it.
Related: Newlyweds, 30 and 33, Die in Plane Crash on Scenic Colo. Honeymoon They Were 'Documenting Online'
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Cell phone video taken by motorists on I-25 showed the plane crash. A good Samaritan freed the pilot and passengers before emergency responders arrived on the scene, the paper reported.
The FAA and NTSB are now investigating the accident, which is the second small plane crash to happen in the Denver area in less than two weeks.
Related: 2-Year-Old Girl and Parents Use Parachute to Survive Plane Crash with 'Minor Cuts and Scratches'
On Friday, June 7, an airplane carrying four people, including two children, crashed in Arvada about 50 miles south of the June 16 crash.
One of the passengers, Melissa Brinkmann — a mother of three and a former U.S. Air Force captain who lived in Parker, Colorado — died the next day, according to the Arvada Press.
For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!
Read the original article on People.
