Plane Goes Down Near Calhan as Deputies Secure Crash Site

El Paso County deputies and local emergency crews were working Saturday at the scene of an airplane crash near the Flying View area east of Ellicott and Calhan. One individual was transported to a local hospital, and responders secured the wreckage while investigators prepared to examine the site. Officials have not released the aircraft type, the number of people aboard, or the condition of the patient.

According to the El Paso County Sheriff's Office, the Federal Aviation Administration will be the lead investigating agency and deputies remain on scene. The post also tagged local outlets including KOAA, KRDO, KKTV, FOX21 and The Gazette, as the area was being locked down for investigators. Authorities did not immediately provide the identity of the person transported or the nature of their injuries.

Federal investigators to lead probe

Federal investigations often involve both the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board. According to the NTSB, the independent agency is charged by Congress with investigating civil aviation accidents and issuing safety recommendations. Local officials typically preserve the scene while federal investigators collect perishable evidence and coordinate next steps.

Where the crash happened

The crash was reported near "Flying View," a stretch of private and public use airstrips east of Ellicott and Calhan that includes Colorado Springs East/Springs East Airport. Airport records list Springs East at 3060 Flying View in Calhan, roughly 25 miles east of downtown Colorado Springs, according to AirNav. Rural roads and private airstrips in the area can complicate access for heavy recovery equipment.

What to expect next

Federal teams will document the wreckage, interview witnesses and collect perishable evidence as they work to determine what happened. Investigators typically publish a preliminary factual update within about 30 days, while a final probable cause report can take a year or more to complete, according to the Washington Post reporting on aviation investigations. Witnesses with photos or video that might help the inquiry are often asked to preserve that material and share it with investigators through official channels.