This Article is From Feb 07, 2010

Two planes collide in Colorado, 3 die

Boulder, Colorado: An airplane towing a glider and another plane collided in Colorado, sending the two planes crashing into the ground and killing at least three people, authorities said.

One of the aircraft clipped the towline of the plane that was pulling the glider, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) spokeswoman Laura Brown said. The glider apparently disconnected and landed safely a short time later, according to the FAA.

An amateur video shot at the scene showed a plane tumbling to the ground trailing thick, black smoke and a parachute.

One witness, Christian Sterner, said he saw two big balls of flames, including one attached to a parachute that then fell slowly to the ground.

Other witnesses reported smoldering wreckage in at least three areas on the prairie north of Boulder, which sits at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Aquina Rogers, a worker at a storage facility in the area, said she could see a wing in one of the wreckage fields.

The three dead came from both of the planes that crashed, Boulder County sheriff's office spokesman Rick Brough said. Authorities we're trying to confirm how many people were flying in each of the planes.
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