DENVER: A Civil Air Patrol plane crash in Colorado has killed the aircraft's pilot and an aerial photographer, authorities say.
The crash, which occurred in Larimer County on Saturday, killed pilot Susan Wolber and aerial photographer Jay Rhoten, according to a statement released by the office of Gov. Jared Polis.
The aircraft was on a routine training mission at the time of the crash. The co-pilot, Randall Settergren, was injured and airlifted to a medical facility by the Colorado Army National Guard.
“The State of Colorado is grateful for their commitment to service, and it will not be forgotten. I also want to thank the first responders who assisted with the rescue and recovery efforts,” Polis said on the social media platform X.
The Civil Air Patrol, the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, is a nonprofit organization with 60,000 members nationwide, operating a fleet of 550 aircraft.
It performs inland search and rescue missions across the continental U.S. and is credited by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center with saving an average of 70 lives annually.
Its unpaid professionals also perform homeland security, disaster relief, and drug interdiction missions at the request of federal, state, and local agencies.