Civil Air Patrol plane crash in Colorado kills 2 and injures 1

DENVER — The pilot and an aerial photographer were killed in a Civil Air Patrol plane crash in Colorado, authorities said.

The crash that occurred Saturday in Larimer County killed pilot Susan Wolber and aerial photographer Jay Rhoten, according to a statement from Gov. Jared Polis’ office.

The aircraft was on a routine training mission at the time of the crash. The co-pilot, Randall Settergren, was injured and flown by helicopter 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 would also like to thank the first responders who assisted in the rescue and recovery efforts,” Polis said on social media platform X.

The Civil Air Patrol, the official auxiliary of the United States Air Force, is a nonprofit organization with 60,000 members nationwide, operating a fleet of 550 aircraft.

It conducts search and rescue missions in the U.S. interior and is credited by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center with saving an average of 70 lives per year.

The unpaid professionals also perform homeland security, emergency response and drug interdiction missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies.