Two Planes Collide Over Northwest Denver, Killing 4

DENVER -- Two small planes collided in midair over northwest Denver around 5:20 p.m. Friday, raining wreckage and bodies on homes below.

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Police confirmed that there were four fatalities from the planes, 7NEWS reported. No survivors from either aircraft were found.

"We don't know how many people were on board the planes so we don't know how many people we're looking for," Denver Police Chief Gerry Whitman told 7NEWS about an hour after the planes crashed.

A twin-engine Piper Cheyenne, which can carry up to eight people, landed upside down -- in a back yard near 26th and Irving. Two people died in that plane. One engine, part of a wing, and the tail of the plane landed elsewhere.

The fuselage of the other plane -- a single-engine Cessna -- hit a two-story home at 3421 W. Moncrieff. Two people died in that plane, also.

The Cessna, which can seat four people, exploded on impact, engulfing the house in flames. Witnesses said a second blast, possibly from natural gas, rocked the house a short time later.

Three people were in the home when the plane crashed, but managed to get out before the home was hit by the second explosion.

Rescuers quickly arrived on scene and extinguished the blaze, but the home collapsed. A nearby home was badly damaged.

Reverse 911 calls were made to nearly 750 homes in the crash area, warning them not to touch debris or body parts if they find them.

Police also asked people not to go into the area. They blocked off the crash scene for the remainder of the night.

Debris Rains Down

The crash was so violent that parts of both planes rained down over the neighborhood, injuring at least six people on the ground.

Firefighters said that it is a miracle that there weren't any more injuries, considering that the debris field is about 12 blocks long.

Six people, including a 2-year-old, were taken to St. Anthony Hospital with minor injuries from falling debris, 7NEWS reported. All are listed in good condition and will be released.

Denver Police Chief Gerry Whitman said that "body parts and parts of the aircraft" were recovered from the neighborhood.

A witness, Dominic Frederico, said he saw parts of one plane land near him at 26th & Lowell in the Highlands neighborhood.

One of the planes came down very near a 12-story highrise, according to Denver Fire chief Rod Juniel . He said it was fortunate that more people were not killed or injured.

Eyewitnesses Shocked

Witnesses said there were stunned and horrified when they saw the collision and heard the boom.

"At first I thought I saw some birds (in the sky) and the next thing I saw, the two planes hit. They spiraled down and split in half and debris started coming down," said Lupe Soletro. "I could not believe what I just saw."

She said the two planes were going the same direction when they hit. Other witnesses said the planes hit at an angle.

The southernmost crash site was only one-half mile from Invesco Field.

One of the planes clipped a power line on the way down, shutting power to at least 1,400 customers, Xcel reported. Power to all but 50 people was restored within a few hours. Power was expected to be restored to everyone by midnight, an Xcel spokesman said.

When Soletro got to the scene of one of the downed planes she said she saw another woman kneel to the ground and start praying.

Another witness saw the crash from downtown Denver.

"I told a friend, 'Oh my God, I think I saw a plane about to crash,'" said Marie LeTourneau. "I was thinking this can't be a plane. This is downtown Denver and this just doesn't happen around here."

A Red Cross shelter was set up for local residents who had homes damaged from debris at Highlands United Methodist Church, 3131 Osceola. Only a few people went to shelter and all had left by 9:30 p.m.

Eyewitnesses were bused to Denver police headquarters for questioning.

A community meeting to talk about the crash and how it has affected the neighborhood was scheduled for 9 a.m. Saturday at the North Denver Community Center at 44th and Lowell.

The Aircraft

The Cessna 172 Skyhawk was based at Centennial Airport and was flying to Cheyenne, Wyo. The Piper Cheyenne II had just taken off from Jefferson County Airport and was enroute to Centennial when it collided with the Skyhawk.

The planes were flying under visual flight rules at 7,614 feet above sea level when the crash occurred, the Federal Aviation Administration reported. Pilots have told 7NEWS that the flight paths that the planes were on was in a very popular route, a "Class B" airspace.

Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board and FAA were on the scene investigating.

Investigators were looking into the possibility that the two pilots didn't see each other because one plane had an overhead wing configuation and the other had a lower wing configuration.

Aviation experts said there are an average of 16 midair collisions in the United States each year. They are "very rare."