‘Lucky’: Plane from Colorado Springs crashes on roadway, hits car, but none seriously injured

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - The Castle Rock Police Department (CRPD) says a small plane crashed just before 6:15 p.m. on Monday.

Police say it landed near the intersection of Wolfensberger Rd. and Prairie Hawk Dr. Police say everyone on board and on the roads is ok.

Flight tracking data shows the plane took off from Colorado Springs around 5:27 p.m. KRDO13 also confirmed with the Castle Rock Fire and Rescue Department (CRFRD).

KRDO13 spoke with the pilot of the plane, who said he can't talk about the flight right now since it is under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), but he did say he was incredibly relieved that everyone was ok. The pilot is an El Paso County resident.

"At the end of the day, I mean, someone was looking out for this family and the family in that car, too, because it really crashed into the back of that vehicle. So they're lucky that that piece of that wing didn't go through that windshield. And honestly, I mean, it was a smaller car, and I wouldn't be surprised if it was like, you know, a bigger vehicle that maybe has like a bigger opening that that thing could have went through. So it just pretty remarkable, honestly. You know, from, from a crash landing being able to maintain not, not hit anything, you know, besides the vehicle, you're just you're very lucky for sure. So yeah, it's just pretty wild," explained Whitney Hookham, who was there just minutes after the plane went down.

A witness to the crash tells KRDO13 the pilot is a true hero, landing the plane with minimal damage in a highly populated area.

"With a power station right across the street. We've got, as you can see, multi-family homes right here. Very lucky tonight. Very lucky from not only the aircraft perspective and the passengers there, but for the individuals in the vehicle on the ground as well," explained Norris W. Croom III, CRFRD Chief.

The Chief tells KRDO13 the pilot tried to communicate with the Centennial Airport, but decided he would try to return to Colorado Springs.

"Our understanding from the pilot was that he lost power. He attempted to apparently, return to Centennial. Was not able to do that, or determined he was not able to do that. Saw this roadway, saw a few cars on it. So he decided that that was the best opportunity to try and put it down," explained Chief Croom.

The Chief said there were three people on the plane, witnesses on scene tell KRDO13, two of whom were a mother and her baby.

13 Investigates also spoke with one man who is being hailed as a hero by many witnesses. They tell us he rushed over to help the mother and her baby. He tells 13 Investigates that he is no hero. He says he just pulled off to stop and help, like he hopes others would do the same. The man said he did not want to be recognized; instead, he said the real heroes were the first responders who rushed to the scene and the pilot who maneuvered a tricky landing with minimal damage. Hookham said the good Samaritan deserves the praise.

"You could have driven off, but you didn't. You know you, you pulled over and were caring about someone that you don't even know, and that's the difference, you know, like, it doesn't matter how you label it. That is what matters. There are good people in this world, and they should be recognized for sure," said Hookham.

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