Rocky Mountain Beechcraft Crash Kills 2 in Seconds

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A routine Saturday morning flight turned tragic when a twin-engine Beechcraft crashed just one minute after takeoff from Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport.

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The pilot's final radio transmission revealed a frightening emergency: "We're going to have to go back and re-land. We've got the door popped open."

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At 10:01 AM, air traffic controllers noticed something wrong when the plane failed to make an expected turn to avoid another aircraft

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Tower operators immediately cleared all runways for emergency landing, repeatedly telling the pilot: "Any runway you need. Any runway. You are cleared to land.

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Just moments later, another pilot's voice reported the devastating news: "They just went down north of 36."

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The small aircraft crashed in an open field within Carolyn Holmberg Preserve, near Brainard Drive and Midway Boulevard, just north of U.S. 36.

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North Metro Fire crews quickly contained a small fire at the crash site before it could spread to the surrounding grassland.

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Why would an open door cause such a catastrophic outcome? While typically considered a distraction rather than critical emergency, investigators are examining what else might have gone wrong.

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Federal investigators from NTSB and FAA are now piecing together the puzzle - examining maintenance records, weather conditions, and radar tracks showing the plane's final moments.

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The Beechcraft 95 aircraft, known to pilots as either a Travel Air or Baron, has been a reliable part of private aviation for decades - making this crash particularly puzzling to aviation experts.

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