NTSB spokesman Peter Knudson said yesterday afternoon that the Piper PA-46 airplane crashed near the Erie Municipal Airport about 11:50 am Shortly after the crash, three people were declared dead at the scene and two were taken to hospitals.
Erie Police Commander Lee Mathis says the six-passenger plane crashed a few hundred yards northwest of the runway, but he did not know if it was landing or taking off.
A photo of the crash site posted on the Boulder Daily Camera's website showed the mangled wreckage of the plane, which crashed into a grassy field.