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Tag: Aspen

  • Nancy Pfister Murder: Suspects to Appear in Court

    Three people accused of murdering Aspen, Colo. socialite Nancy Pfister are due to appear in court today.

    William Styler III and his wife, Nancy Styler, were arrested March 3 on charges of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder in Pfister’s case.

    A third person, bank teller Kathy Carpenter, 56, who reportedly found Pfister’s body in a closet of her home, was arrested Friday for first degree murder and conspiracy to commit first degree murder.

    On February 6, Pfister posted a message on Facebook seeking a tenant for her home, stating that Carpenter would assist potential tenants.

    “Kathy carpenter from alpine Bank will show anyone interested the ropes, watering greenhouse, Gabe’s stuff, etc. Very easy to contact me via email, thanks in advance!!!,” she wrote.

    Pfister was the daughter of the late Betty and Art Pfister, who co-founded the Buttermilk ski area west of town that’s hosted the Winter X Games multiple times.

    Pfister, 57, was found dead in her mountain chalet Feb. 26.

    Pfister had been renting her home to the Stylers while on a trip to Australia, officials said.

    In January, Pfister posted a complaint on her Facebook wall: “I’d like to stay in Australia but the people that were supposedly taking care of my house are not doing what they said they would do and they’re not paying rent and they haven’t paid utilities.”

    She returned to Aspen and her body was discovered four days later.

    Carpenter is being held in the Pitkin County Jail without bond, according to the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office.

    The Stylers were formally charged today at 10:30 a.m. MT, and Carpenter will appear before the court for an advisement hearing at 3 p.m. MT.

    Juliana Pfister told ABC News she couldn’t believe someone would kill her fun-loving mother because of an alleged rent dispute.

    “How could someone just be so angry that they got kicked out of a house?” Juliana Pfister said. “There’s got to be something more. It’s hard to understand that.”

    The Stylers have been held without bond. At their first hearing, attorneys for the Stylers waived formal advisement of the charges of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder.

    Pfister’s autopsy report is incomplete and all records in the case have been sealed.

    Image via YouTube

  • Aspen Plane Crash: Co-Pilot Dies Leaving 2 Injured

    A private jet burst into flames, leaving one person dead and two others injured. The twin-engine Canadair CL-600-2B16 Challenger deviated from the side of the runway while carrying three people when it crashed in Aspen Colorado, Sunday afternoon.

    “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,” said eyewitness Bruce Gordon.

    Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Allen Kenitzer said the plane crashed while attempting to land. The fatal landing was the plane’s second attempt at landing that day.

    The man who died in the accident was identified as Mexican co-pilot Sergio Carranza Brabata. The other two men injured were Moises Carranza and Miguel Henriquez both of whom were rushed to St. Mary’s Hospital in Grand Junction for treatment. According to hospital officials, the two injured men are in critical and serious condition, respectively.

    “The injuries were traumatic in nature, but they were not thermal so the fire never reached inside the cabin as far as we can tell,” said Alex Burchetta, Director of Operations for the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office.

    The aircraft left Toluca, Mexico on Sunday before landing in Tucson. Afterward, it left Tucson for Aspen but crashed at 12:23 p.m., according to the Aviation Safety Network. Audio from the network indicates that the plane had been cleared to land at about 12:10 but missed its line.

    The crash is being investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board who arrived at the scene at around 9:30 p.m. Reports from the local sheriff’s office indicate that the airport will remain closed but no specific timelines were given, saying that the NTSB will have to approve the re-opening of the airport.

    Weather measurement showed that Aspen experienced temperatures of about 10 degrees with strong winds that day. The gusty winds are said to be responsible for the aircraft’s aborted first landing attempt and subsequent crash. Transcripts from the cockpit audio recording showed that no mayday was issued by the pilots despite the concerns over the winds.

    Image via YouTube

  • Aspen Plane Crash Leaves One Dead & Two Injured

    On Sunday, Aspen-Pitkin County Airport shut down after a private jet attempted to land on the runway, but instead flipped over and burst into flames. The crash killed one passenger and injured two others.

    According to FAA spokesman Allen Kenitzer, the plane appeared to be a twin-engine Bombardier Challenger 600 that had departed from Tucson, Arizona, at approximately 10:04 a.m. The pilot had previously tried to land, but was unsuccessful. “Missed approach, N115WF. 33 knots of tail wind,” the pilot is heard saying just a few minutes before the crash.

    Alex Burchetta, the director of operations at the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office, was able to identify the man who died as Sergio Carranza Brabata, the co-pilot of the plane. The other two men were identified as Miguel Henriqez and Moises Carranza.

    Several celebrities witnessed the crash including SNL’s Kevin Nealon and country music singer LeAnn Rimes. Both took to their Twitter accounts to express there reactions.

    “So sad! Horrible plane crash we just saw happen at the Aspen airport,” Rimes tweeted. She then added a longer tweet saying that she was counting her blessings even more today after witnessing a tragedy.

    “We are just getting off the plane in LA. This has been quite a day. Counting our blessings even more so after seeing a tragedy & driving 7 hrs to Denver through tons of snow and traffic. Would have missed our flight if it wasn’t delayed. We are being watched over, that’s for sure. The boys have been fantastic helpers. Eddie is a stud for getting us through a VERY crowded airport with ease. @united your team in Denver was incredibly helpful as I know they were all very stressed. Hope all the other travelers make it home safely and many prayers for the victims & their families of the #aspencrash in this heartbreaking time,” Rimes tweeted.

    “Horrible plane crash here at Aspen airport. Exploded into flames as it was landing. I think it was a private jet,” Nealon tweeted.

    “Right now, we have no indication that there was anything wrong prior to landing,” Burchetta said. However, the cause of the crash is still under investigation.

    Image via Twitter

  • Aspen Plane Crash: Private Plane Crashes Then Bursts Into Flames

    At Aspen Airport, just 100 miles southeast of Denver, a private plane crashed while attempting to land at the Aspen/Pitkin County Airport on Sunday afternoon.

    Witnesses said that it appeared the pilot missed the runway in his first attempt to land, and circled a few times before the plane crashed, Flight Aware reported.

    The aircraft bound for the Rockies started its journey in Mexico, making a stop in Tuscon, Arizona just before heading to the Aspen Airport, according to the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office.

    There were three people aboard and one person was killed, two were injured and were immediately rushed to Aspen Valley Hospital, according to ABC News.

    Transcripts from the voice recorder revealed there was no mayday issued by the pilots, however, there was concern over strong wind gusts in the area.

    The private jet was on its second landing attempt when it crashed, bursting into flames and sending black smoke billowing into the air.

    Emergency crews responded immediately to the crash, the Sheriff’s Office said.

    “We did receive 2 victims here. They came by ambulance to our hospital,” Ginny Dyche, director of community relations for the hospital, told the Daily News. “They are still being evaluated.”

    Witnesses included the “Saturday Night Live” former cast member, Kevin Nealon, along with country singer LeAnn Rimes, who tweeted their shock and concern just as the plane crashed and was consumed in flames.

    “Horrible plane crash here at Aspen airport,” Nealon tweeted. “Exploded into flames as it was landing. I think it was a private jet.”

    Nealon said that a fire truck and ambulances arrived on scene in a matter of minutes. The crash looked so devastating that he did not think there were any survivors at first.

    Rimes tweeted, “So sad! Horrible plane crash we just saw happen at the Aspen airport.”

    Allan Kenitzer, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration, told ABC News that the plane appeared to be a Bombardier Challenger 600.

    The airport closed after the incident.

    Image via YouTube