The sheriff’s office says the plane went down on Saturday during a training exercise mission.
FORT COLLINS, Colo. — Two people died and one more sustained critical injuries in The Civil Air Patrol plane crash in Colorado on Saturday during a training flight.
The Larimer County Sheriff’s Office, Larimer County Emergency Services and other partners in the area were alerted to a plane crash in the vicinity of Storm Mountain, approximately 80 miles northwest of Denver at about 11:15 a.m.
local time on Saturday as the sheriff’s office stated. The responding deputies found three passengers who were on board and two of them were dead.
The third passenger was badly injured and was taken to a nearby hospital according to the sheriff’s office.
Larimer County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Ali Adams said that the crash site was located in a hard-to-reach area.
“Because of the topography, it will probably take a few days for recovery,”
Adams said. The plane that crashed was a Cessna 182, Civil Air Patrol stated in a press release provided to the Fort Collins Coloradoan, a BBC News network.
The sheriff’s office reported the plane was in a training mission when the crash occurred. Colorado Governor Jared Polis named the victims as pilot Susan Wolber and aerial photographer Jay Rhoten.
The victim was named as Randall Settergren, co-pilot of the plane, who was pulled out by a Colorado Army National Guard helicopter.
Civil Air Patrol “will fully support the National Transportation Safety Board in the investigation,” the news release stated.
Larimer County Sheriff’s office is currently heading the investigation and will be assisted by the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board.
”People are our greatest asset and we will do everything possible to protect them,’ said Maj Gen Regena Aye, the national commander of the organisation.
The Crashed Plane Was A Civil Air Patrol Aircraft On A Standard Training Flight
The plane that crashed near Storm Mountain was a Civil Air Patrol aircraft that belonged to the Thompson Valley Composite Squadron, said Polis.
Civil Air Patrol stated that the plane was involved in a search-and-rescue exercise when it happened to crash. Latter on authorities clarified that the exercise was in aerial photography.
Aerial photography is used by Civil Air Patrol in search and rescue missions as well as in disaster management, according to the Chief Growth Officer Kristina Jones of Civil Air Patrol.
“It is with a heavy heart that I learned that two committed Civil Air Patrol members, Pilot Susan Wolber and aerial photographer Jay Rhoten, died in today’s crash and I extend my condolences to their families, friends and co-workers,” Polis said in a statement.
“These individuals, along with survivor co-pilot Randall Settergren who was injured, were volunteering for the Civil Air Patrol as a means of contributing to the improvement of Colorado and making the state safer for everyone,” Polis said.
The State of Colorado appreciates their service and dedication and it will not go unnoticed. I also would like to thank the first responders who helped in the rescue and the recovery process.”
The Civil Air Patrol is a nonprofit corporation and the official auxiliary of the United States Air Force.
According to the governor’s office, Civil Air Patrol missions in Colorado include searching for lost hikers and hunters, finding missing aircrafts, and delivering emergency personnel and medical supplies.
The Colorado Wing of the Civil Air Patrol has 39 squadrons which include the cadet squadrons, composite squadrons and senior squadrons as stated on its website.
The Thompson Valley Composite Squadron is located in Fort Collins.
“Civil Air Patrol’s volunteers are an asset to the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs and their daily efforts save lives of Coloradans across the state,” Major General Laura Clellan of the Colorado Department of Military and Veterans Affairs stated.
“It is sad to learn that Susan Wolber and Jay Rhoten have passed on and that Randall Settergren was injured.”