MONTROSE -- A charter jet carrying six people to South Bend, Ind., crashed Sunday morning on takeoff, killing at least two people and seriously injuring three others at the Montrose Regional Airport, which serves the Telluride Ski Area.

Allen Kenitzer, regional Federal Aviation Administration spokesman in Seattle, said the plane burst into flames after crashing through a fence. Kenitzer said three had died in the crash, but the sheriff's office said two were dead one person was missing.

Three people were injured and were taken to Montrose Memorial Hospital. A sixth person listed on the plane's manifest had not been found.

A ground search for the missing person was ongoing Sunday, and a helicopter was being used to search the rugged terrain from the air.

The crash occurred around 10 a.m. in an area covered with small brush and cedar trees, Montrose Communications Supervisor David Learned said. A large drainage ditch also is at the site.

Kenitzer identified the plane as a CL-60 Challenger owned and operated by Global Aviation of Los Angeles, a charter service company.

Although snow was falling in the area it was not known whether it contributed to the crash.

The identities of those onboard have not been released.

Investigators from the FAA and National Safety Transportation Board were en route to the airport, 185 miles southwest of Denver.

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