channel 8 news on just had breaking news....plane went down in Aspen Colorado, at least 17 dead, no details as yet.!

-- Anonymous, March 29, 2001

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18 Killed in Colo. Plane Crash By Steven K. Paulson Associated Press Writer Friday, March 30, 2001; 12:16 a.m. EST

ASPEN, Colo. –– A chartered jet slammed into a hillside Thursday as it approached an airport in this ski resort town, killing all 18 people on board, authorities said.

The plane fell apart as it dove across a culvert and struck another bluff just short of the runway. Wreckage and bodies were strewn across the crash site. Two dead passengers were still strapped to their seats, and one was sprawled on a hillside.

The Gulfstream III was en route to Aspen from Los Angeles. Fifteen passengers and three crew were on board, said Allen Kenitzer, a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman in Seattle. It was not clear what airport the plane had departed from.

There were no distress calls before the crash, said Marie Munday, a spokeswoman for the Pitkin County Sheriff's Office. All 18 bodies were recovered, she said.

The National Weather Service reported light snow and mist in the Aspen area Thursday night.

An eyewitness saw the airplane go down at the Sardy Field airport shortly after 7 p.m. Madeleine Osberger was driving near the airport when she saw the plane making its final approach.

"I turned the corner and saw flames," said Osberger.

The plane was preparing to land when it hit a hillside about 20 feet high and lost its tail. It fell apart as it dove across a 200-foot chasm between the hill and the airport, then slammed into another bluff about 500 yards short of the runway.

The plane was registered to Airborne Charter Inc. at Burbank, Calif., said Bruce Nelson, an FAA operations officer in Los Angeles.

A woman answering the phone at Avjet Corporation in Burbank said the company manages the Gulfstream jet that crashed for Airborne, which owns it. She would not give her name but said a company official was expected to issue a statement.

In Washington, a spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board, Ted Lopatkiewicz, said Thursday night the agency would investigate.

© Copyright 2001 The Associated Press

-- Anonymous, March 30, 2001

After looking at the initial reports, it seems like pilot error to me.

-- Anonymous, March 30, 2001

Any of these names sound familiar? ****************************************************

Mar 30, 2001 - 06:20 PM

Victims in the Colorado Plane Crash The Associated Press

The 18 people killed in Thursday night's plane crash near Aspen, Colo., according to Avjet Corp. president Marc Foulkrod. The ages and hometowns weren't released Friday: Mario Aguilar

Joe Aguilar

Joey Aguilar

Danielle Bacon

Elena Bernal

Romano Cota

Ivan Garcia

Ori Greenberg

Eugene Kaplansky

Robert New

Elizabeth Ann Smith

Paul Stanifer

Mirweis Tuhki

Maria Valanzuela

Marissa Witham

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Bob Frisbie (crew)

Peter Kowalczyk (crew)

Catherine Naranjo (crew)

AP-ES-03-30-01 1819EST © Copyright 2001 Associated Press. All rights reserved.

-- Anonymous, March 30, 2001