A private plane originating from Burbank, California crashed late Thursday near the town of Aspen, southwest of here, killing 18 people, according to media reports.
"We can confirm that at about 7:00 pm (0200 GMT) tonight mountain time, a Gulf Stream 3 went down just about one mile northwest of Aspen," Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Allen Kenitzer told CNN television. "It was a charter aircraft (with) a total of 18 people on board -- 15 passengers and three crew -- and right now it's reported that all were fatal."
Kenitzer said inspectors from the National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA were en route to the crash site.
Although he could offer no information on the cause of the crash or who was flying the plane, Kenitzer said "We're hoping to get some reports in tonight." -- DENVER, Colorado (AFP)
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