A plane crash on Thursday east of Telluride killed both people on board, according to the San Miguel Sheriff’s Office.
The pilot has been identified by the Sheriff as Bryan Lee Kill, 48, of Huachuca City, Arizona. He had recently moved to Telluride.
Kill was traveling with a female passenger who was also killed. Her name has not been released pending notification of next of kin.
The single-engine private plane was on approach to the Telluride Regional Airport at 1:30 p.m. when the airport lost contact. Several witnesses reported seeing the aircraft go down.
About 2:30 p.m. the pilot and passenger were found dead at the crash site near Telluride, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
The plane, a Van’s Aircraft RV-4, had taken off from Durango-La Plata County Airport at 12:30 p.m. Thursday en route to Telluride, according to Flight Aware and the Federal Aviation Administration.
Members of the San Miguel Sheriff’s Office, San Miguel Search and Rescue, Telluride Fire Department, and San Miguel Coroner are investigating the scene and working to recover the victims.
The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board have been notified, and a response plan for those agencies is being formulated.
According to the FAA, the downed plane was found 0.5 miles east of Telluride and occurred under unknown circumstances at this time. Damage to the aircraft was substantial.
On Oct. 5, another fatal plane crash east of Telluride killed a newlywed couple, Costas John Sivyllis, and Lindsey Vogelaar, both of Port Orange, Florida. Their plane crashed 15 minutes after takeoff, and is under investigation by the NTSB.