Four people, including three from the same family, were killed when a plane crashed in the northern Colorado mountains near Steamboat Springs early Friday, law enforcement officials said.

An Epic Aircraft E1000 headed to Steamboat Springs crashed in a remote area on the south side of Emerald Mountain just after midnight Friday, Routt County Sheriff Doug Scherar and the National Transportation Safety Board confirmed.

County officials are working to notify next of kin before releasing the names of those who died, but believe three of the people who died belonged to the same family, Routt County Coroner Mitch Locke said.

In a statement, Scherar said the plane crashed as it was approaching the Bob Adams Airport in Steamboat Springs from the south. The crash site is near the top of Emerald Mountain in a remote area.

The area near the crash site is marked with yellow tape, and access is restricted. Scherar asked the public to respect the closure.

The circumstances around the crash are unknown and an NTSB investigator is headed to the scene and expected to arrive shortly, federal officials said Friday evening. The investigator will document the scene and examine the aircraft, which will then be moved to a secure facility to be evaluated further.

Federal flight data shows the turboprop plane was owned by ALS Aviation LLC in Franklin, Tenn., and was purchased in 2024, while the company was formed on Dec. 7, 2021.

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Franklin is located about 20 minutes from the Nashville International Airport and 30 minutes from the John C. Tune Airport, which handles private jet and turboprop flights and is popular with musicians in the area. Information on the plane’s flight history is blocked on public tracking sites, a strategy some celebrities use to maintain privacy. The Epic E1000 is a higher-end single-engine turboprop.

Anyone who witnessed or has information about the crash can contact the NTSB atwitness@ntsb.gov.

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