Two dead, one injured in aircraft crash on Palisade Mountain Saturday

Story by Barb Boyer Buck and Patti Brown

UPDATED 6 p.m.

Radio communications among Larimer County rescue agencies indicated a Civil Air Patrol plane crashed near the top of Palisade Mountain east of Estes Park, killing two and injuring one late this morning.

According to a message posted by Gov. Jerod Polis just after 5 p.m. on X the names of the deceased are Susan Wolber, a Civil Air Patrol pilot and aerial photographer Jay Rhoten. The survivor is co-pilot Randall Settergren. The single-engine Cessna Skylane 182 was on a search and rescue training mission in Larimer County.

According to information from FlightAware flight #CAP534 took off from Northern Colorado Regional Airport in Loveland at 10:09 a.m.

The crash site appears to be quite remote, with a “helicopter plus litter” ordered when the first rescue crew arrived at the scene via the Palisade Mountain Trail, at approximately 12:30 p.m. Headquarters for the rescue mission were set up at the Loveland Fire Rescue Station 9, located at 100 Palisade Mountain Dr., Drake.

A 54-year old male with head lacerations and possible broken ribs “remembers most of it (the crash),” reported the first personnel on the crash site. Two others were killed in the crash.

At approximately 1:30 p.m., rescue personnel reported that a black SUV with a black trailer “passed two (rescue) vehicles up here and scraped the sides of both of them.” The Larimer County’s sheriff’s department was advised that the trailer license plate number is 300 WIF. One of the vehicles that was sideswiped was reported to be from Estes Park.

Rescue personnel on scene reported that they were about “200 yards below the main peak of Palisade (Mountain). We’re on a boulder field, probably the worst place (for any type of landing). We’re going to need a litter and a lot of personnel and will probably need to go pretty much straight over the top to that access road. If that ‘guardship’ is enroute, I pretty much know their hover capability … we have tree tops to work with.”

At the time of this reporting, the flight crew were still on the ground at Buckley Air Force base and plans were proceeding with a hike out with the only surviving victim: “please be aware: we only have one rescue now.”

Update: Alexandra Adams, communications specialist with the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office, held a press conference at the Drake Fire Station at 3:10 p.m. She confirmed the Estes Valley Voice’s earlier reporting that a small plane had gone down before noon, and that there were two fatalities and one injury. Rescuers were still attempting to get to and transport the injured individual.

According to Adams, LCSO will work with the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board on the investigation of the crash.

Adams said no further information would be made available this evening.

Update: The article was updated with information from a post on X by Gov. Jered Polis at 6 p.m.