Tragic Plane Crash Claims Four Lives Near Steamboat Springs, Colorado
- 17GEN4
- 6 hours ago
- 2 min read
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colo. — A private single-engine turboprop aircraft crashed into rugged mountainous terrain near the popular ski resort town of Steamboat Springs early Friday, killing all four people on board, authorities confirmed.
The incident occurred around 12:20 a.m. on February 13, when the Epic Aircraft E1000 — a six-seat turboprop model — went down on the south-facing side of Emerald Mountain (also known as Quarry Mountain), just as it was approaching Bob Adams Field Steamboat Springs Airport (KSBS) from the south, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and local officials.
Routt County Sheriff Doug Scherar reported that search and rescue teams, along with the county coroner, recovered four bodies from the remote crash site. There were no survivors. The Routt County Coroner's Office is working to positively identify the victims and notify their families.The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has taken the lead on the investigation into the cause of the crash, which the FAA described as occurring under unknown circumstances. Preliminary details indicate the aircraft struck high terrain at an elevation around 8,252 feet in what aviation safety experts classify as a controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) accident.
Weather conditions at the time included reported 10-mile visibility at the airport, though light snow may have been present in the surrounding mountains, potentially complicating the approach.The plane, registered as N98FK, was linked to an aviation company based in Franklin, Tennessee, per FAA records.Emerald Mountain, rising sharply near the airport, poses navigational challenges for pilots in the region, especially during low-light or marginal weather conditions.
No further details on the victims or the flight's origin have been released pending family notifications and the ongoing investigation.Officials urged anyone with information about the flight to contact authorities. The NTSB is expected to issue preliminary findings in the coming days or weeks as recovery and analysis continue.