A Piper Pawnee towing a glider and a Cirrus SR20 collided over Boulder, Colorado, on Saturday.  The glider, a Schweizer 2-32, managed to free itself from the tow line and avoid the crash.  The glider was carrying three people and landed safely.  The Cirrus SR20 reportedly clipped the tow line of the Piper Pawnee before they collided.

The Piper Pawnee, owned by Mile High Gliding, was piloted by Alexander Howard Gilmer, of Evergreen, Colorado, and was the only person on board.  The Cirrus reportedly had two people on board, the pilot Bob Matthews, of Boulder and his brother, Mark, of Englewood.

To determine what caused the crash, investigators will be combing through any videos of the accident they can uncover, along with witness testimony since small planes like these reportedly do not carry black boxes.  According to NTSB field investigator Jennifer Rodi, “We’ll have to take into consideration the sun angles, the cloud angles, the visibility, and, unfortunately, we may not be able to answer factually where the pilots were looking just prior to the collision."

Several witnesses to the accident have already been quoted in different new sources.  The Daily Camera, a Boulder Newspaper quoted Paul Aiken, "We heard a loud bang and looked up in the air and we saw what looked like a glider and big, black smoke right next to it.  It looked like fireworks, the explosion."

An amateur video taken of the accident reportedly shows a plane on fire while it heads towards the ground leaving a plume of thick, black smoke in its wake.

The Matthews family has since reportedly issued a statement saying, "Mark and Bob were men who were dearly loved. Wherever they went, they impacted their community with their integrity, kindness, humor and love. They will be sorely missed by their adoring wives, children and family and friends."