Second Key Lime Air Plane Crashes In A Month, No Injuries
GOODLAND, Kan. (AP/CBS4) - The pilot of a small cargo plane reported engine trouble near the Kansas-Colorado state line Wednesday morning and brought the plane down in a Kansas field after trying to land on a road, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
The pilot, the only person aboard, wasn't hurt, according to the Kansas Highway Patrol.
The plane, which had been travelling from Denver International Airport to Colby, Kansas, was "substantially damaged," said the FAA, which was sending investigators to the scene.
This is the second crash within a few weeks involving Key Lime Air, a charter company based near Denver.
On Dec. 30, a Key Lime twin-engine cargo plane crashed on a cold morning into the front yard of a suburban Denver home, killing the pilot, who was the only person aboard. Investigators said the pilot reported losing engine power before going down, and that the National Transportation Safety Board would look at how the plane was stored and whether the engine was preheated, among many other factors, because cold weather can affect engine performance.
On Jan. 8, a Key Lime cargo plane made an emergency landing at a small airport near Denver. No one was hurt.
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In an emailed statement Wednesday, Key Lime said it was working closely with the NTSB and the FAA.
"If any facets come to light that would help further protect our people and our aircraft, we would certainly move swiftly to reconcile any identified discrepancies," Key Lime said, adding that any further information would have to come from the NTSB.
The NTSB did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday's crash or the other recent Key Lime incidents.
According to its website, Key Lime has more than 30 aircraft and offers both passenger and cargo service.
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