CHAFFEE COUNTY, Colo. — A pilot was injured Tuesday after a small plane crashed shortly after takeoff at the Buena Vista airport.
At 1:47 p.m. Tuesday, the Chaffee County Communications Center learned about a plane on fire at the Central Colorado Regional Airport in Buena Vista.
When emergency personnel arrived at the airport, they discovered that a single-engine aircraft had taken off and was “just becoming airborne,” when it hit the runway and burst into flames, according to the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office.
After the plane came to a rest — just off the runway — the pilot was able to escape.
The pilot was transported to Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center by ambulance and was then airlifted to a regional burn center.
Both the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating. The cause of the crash remains unknown.