STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colo. (KMGH) — A small plane that was experiencing an engine problem crashed into a mobile home park near the Steamboat Springs Airport/Bob Adams Field (SBS) Monday afternoon, killing both people aboard.
According to the City of Steamboat Springs, the twin-engine Cessna 421 airplane was believed to be en route from Longmont, Colorado, to Ogden, Utah, when it crashed into the West Acres Mobile Park, short of the airport, around 4:32 p.m.
According to Steamboat Springs Radio, the plane landed between two mobile home trailers, causing an "inferno" that spread to the two trailers. The city said its full on-duty shift of 10 firefighters, as well as numerous off-duty personnel, responded to the scene.
The two trailers were fully engulfed in flames. All residents of the mobile home park have been accounted for.
The two occupants of the plane — a man and a woman — died in the crash, according to Routt County Coroner Mitch Locke. Officials are working to notify their families.
The victims were later identified as 67-year-old Dan Dunn and 42-year-old Jessica Pauline Melton, from the Colorado Front Range.
“Our hearts go out to the families and friends of Dan and Jessica,” said Steamboat Springs Police Commander Rich Brown. “This could have been a much larger event and I want to thank all the first responders, crisis support, interpretive services and relief personnel who responded to the West Acres neighborhood.”
The scene has been secured, and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has been notified of the incident.
The Steamboat Springs Police Department has set up an information phone line (970-761-8889) for family members who are concerned about their loved ones who live in the mobile home park. The Routt County Office of Emergency Management is working with impacted residents.
The cause of the crash is under investigation. The Routt County Emergency Communications confirmed to Denver7 that the plane was experiencing an engine problem.
This is the third plane crash in Colorado in 10 days. On June 7, a small plane crashed in an Arvada neighborhood, killing a woman and injuring three other people. On Sunday, crews rescued two people from a small plane crash after troopers said the pilot attempted to land on Interstate 25 near Spruce Mountain Road near Larkspur.
