Tuesday, October 6, 2026·Focal News

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Two dead after aircraft found in rugged terrain west of Boulder

Search teams located a missing plane Monday near Eldorado Canyon State Park, where two people were found dead. The National Transportation Safety Board is expected to investigate the crash; officials have not released the victims’ names or determined what happened.

Two dead after aircraft found in rugged terrain west of Boulder
Two people were found dead Monday in the wreckage of a plane in rugged terrain southwest of Boulder, near Eldorado Canyon State Park, authorities said. No survivors were found. The Boulder County Sheriff’s Office received an alert from the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center at about 9:42 p.m. Sunday after the aircraft was reported missing from radar. An emergency locator beacon was then detected near Eldorado Springs, said sheriff’s office spokesperson Vinnie Montez. The plane was found north of Eldorado Canyon State Park, south of the Flatirons and west of Mountain View Fire Station 9. A MedEvac helicopter and the Civil Air Patrol located the crash site, officials said. The National Transportation Safety Board was expected to arrive Tuesday to begin investigating. Authorities said the aircraft had taken off from Vance Brand Airport in Longmont at about 6:30 p.m. Sunday and was privately owned. Officials had not confirmed whether the plane was the same aircraft tracked online before it disappeared, and the precise time of the crash remains unknown. The victims’ names had not been released as of Monday afternoon. Rocky Mountain Rescue Group, Boulder’s Open Space and Mountain Parks department, the Colorado Search and Rescue Association and the sheriff’s office took part in the search. About 40 rescuers and aviation personnel were involved Monday morning, with roughly 20 still working at the site in the afternoon, Montez said. A flight restriction over the crash area was set to remain in effect until at least 10 a.m. Tuesday. Officials asked the public to stay away and not fly drones or aircraft near the site, warning that doing so could interfere with emergency response operations. “Our hearts are with the families that have been impacted as a result of this incident,” Montez said.

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