Denver plane crash: Two dead after small aircraft crashes near Centennial Airport; NTSB launches probe

Two people died when a small plane crashed and caught fire near a suburban Denver airport on Friday.

The crash happened just south of Centennial Airport and was initially reported as an explosion, Deborah Takahara, a spokesperson for the Douglas county sheriff's office said, as quoted by AP.

The plane appeared to have crashed in the parking lot of an industrial office park. Firefighters found the Beech BE35 airplane engulfed in flames, with the fire threatening to spread to a nearby building and some diesel-powered generators. Firefighters were able to put out the flames.

Another pilot later reported seeing smoke. “Tower, there’s smoke off the left side. Looks like he went down,” the pilot said, followed seconds later by: “He appears to have crashed in the parking lot about a mile southeast of the field.”

The national transportation safety board said it is investigating the crash.