Colorado, United States: Two people were killed after a privately owned single-engine aircraft crashed on 5 October, 2026 in rugged terrain near Eldorado Springs in Boulder County, Colorado, after departing Vance Brand Airport in Longmont on the evening of October 4, 2026.
The aircraft took off at about 6:30 p.m. and was last detected near Eldorado Springs at around 9:29 p.m. An alert concerning a possible downed aircraft was received by the Boulder County Communications Center from the US Air Force Rescue Coordination Center at 9:42 p.m. An emergency beacon from the aircraft had been detected in the area. The aircraft was subsequently identified through FAA and flight-tracking records as Diamond Aircraft DA40, registration N162GL, registered to Boulder Aviation Partners LLC of Boulder. The company is also identified by aircraft-tracking data as the operator, although the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office has not independently confirmed the aircraft’s registration or operator in its public releases.
Search crews worked overnight using ground teams and a MedEvac helicopter equipped with night-vision technology, but the aircraft was not located because of the rugged terrain. The search resumed after daylight, with assistance from the Civil Air Patrol and Boulder Emergency Squad drone team. At about 10:15 a.m. on October 5, the crash site was located north of Eldorado Canyon State Park and south of the Flatirons. Rescuers reached the site at about noon and found two people deceased, with no survivors.
About 40 rescuers and aviation personnel were involved in the operation Monday morning, with around 20 still working at the site by the afternoon. The response involved the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office, Boulder Emergency Squad and Emergency Services, Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks, Civil Air Patrol, Colorado Search and Rescue Association, MedEvac and Rocky Mountain Rescue Group. Authorities also imposed a temporary flight restriction over the crash area and urged the public not to fly drones or aircraft near the site.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is leading the crash investigation in coordination with the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office. The NTSB was notified and expected to send a team to the site on October 6. The Boulder County Coroner’s Office is conducting a separate investigation into the cause and manner of death, while the victims’ identities will be released after positive identification and notification of next of kin. The cause of the crash remains undetermined.
Boulder County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Vinnie Montez said: “Two individuals were located deceased, and no survivors were found.” He also urged the public to stay away from the crash area, saying flying personal aircraft or drones there “will jeopardize any other operations that are going with our drone operations in the area.”
Montez added: “The Boulder County Sheriff’s Office, as well as all the first responders and agencies that are involved with this investigation, our hearts are with the families that have been impacted as a result of this incident.”
The identities of the two people aboard, their relationship to one another, the aircraft’s intended destination and the circumstances that led to the crash have not been officially disclosed. Investigators will determine when and why the aircraft went down.
