5 killed in crash of small plane in Colorado

ERIE, Colorado - A spokesman for the National Transportation Board says all five people aboard a small plane that crashed near an airport north of Denver have died.

NTSB spokesman Peter Knudson said Sunday afternoon that the Piper PA-46 airplane crashed near the Erie Municipal Airport about 11:50 a.m. Shortly after the crash, three people were declared dead at the scene and two were taken to hospitals.

Erie Police Cmdr. 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.

The NTSB is investigating the crash. Erie is about 20 miles north of Denver.