The co-pilot of a private jet in Aspen, Colo. was killed on Sunday, after the small plane veered off the side of a runway, flipped over, and erupted into flames.
Two others on board were injured when the plane crashed at the Aspen/Pitkin County Airport in Aspen, Colo., ABC News reported.
54-year-old Sergio Carranza Brabata of Mexico died after the aircraft collided into the runway. Two other passengers, Miguel Henriquez and Moises Carranza, are reportedly in serious condition, according to nursing supervisor at St. Mary's Hospital in Grand Junction, who spoke with ABC News.
"The injuries were traumatic in nature, but they were not thermal," Alex Burchetta, director of operations at the Pitkin County Sheriff's Office, said on Sunday. "So the fire never reached inside the cabin as far as we can tell."
Eyewitnesses described the harrowing scene shortly after the plane - which departed from Mexico and stopped in Tucson, Ariz. before attempting to land in Aspen - spun out of control.
"It was almost as if a fuse was lit and it went that quickly down the runway and the heat and the smoke were pretty devastating," Bruce Gordon, who watched the plane crash, told ABC News.
"Everyone was crying and just very upset," Heidi Levey, who said she saw the private jet explode, told ABC. "You don't want to see a plane in flames."
The airport closed immediately after the crash, to allow the National Transportation Safety Board clearance to open an investigation. According to the sheriff's office, the airport would re-open as soon as possible, but for now, the timeline remains undetermined.
The NTSB must give the okay for airport officials to clean up debris on the runway.
The plane was a Canadair CL-600, according to spokesperson for the National Transportation Safety Board Peter Knudson.
