Gateway Rescue was paged around 4:21 p.m. to a reported plane crash in the area north east of the Dominguez Campground Area. Dispatch provided coordinates and said the site was near an ATV trail; Gateway Rescue and sheriff deputies responded with lights and sirens.
Radio traffic indicated two people were attempting to hike out of the crash area. A male caller told dispatch he and his wife had no injuries but were “hot and tired”. Currently, only those two individuals are reportedly involved. CareFlight and another search plane were dispatched from local airports.
Responders are also investigating if the crash is a possible fire hazard to the area.
Update 5:30 p.m.: CareFlight has located the two individuals and has landed nearby. Contact not yet confirmed.
Update 6:00 p.m.: Both patients have been transported by CareFlight. Responders are still in the area attempting to locate the plane.
Details are based on live scanner traffic and may change as official information is released.
MESA COUNTY, CO — Two adults are safe after miraculously surviving and walking away from a small aircraft crash in a remote area of Mesa County late Friday afternoon.
At approximately 4:40 p.m. on July 10, the Grand Junction Regional Communication Center dispatched Mesa County Sheriff’s Office deputies and the Gateway Unaweep Fire District to a report of a downed small engine airplane. Initial reports pinpointed the crash in a rugged area southeast of Highway 141, between the towns of Whitewater and Gateway.
According to authorities, the pilot was able to successfully self-report the crash. Both the pilot and the single adult passenger managed to walk away from the wreckage. They were subsequently picked up by CareFlight of the Rockies and airlifted to an area hospital for medical evaluation.
Due to the extreme remoteness of the rugged terrain, deputies were still making their way to the actual crash site on foot as of 7:00 p.m. Friday.
The flight was a private, non-commercial trip with only the two souls on board. The cause of the crash remains unknown at this time.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will be taking charge of the official aircraft crash investigation.
Radar photo of search plane and CareFlight helicopter searching the area.
Initial dispatch:
CareFlight update: