Ouray Mountain Rescue will attempt to drop two people near 13,492-foot Whitehouse Mountain early Wednesday to retrieve the bodies of the four victims of a May 11 plane crash.
Members of the Ouray County Sheriff’s Office and rescue team met Monday afternoon to weigh the dangers of lowering men from a helicopter onto avalanche-prone slopes near wreckage of the single-engine Cessna 210. Debris, scattered on two sides of a ridge, is at 11,000 feet and 13,000 feet.
Searchers have spotted the bodies of three of the four passengers, including that of a young boy, sheriff’s spokeswoman Penni Berry said. The fourth person is presumed dead.
“The family would like to have their family members retrieved from the mountain, but they also understand the dangers,” she said.
The victims are Robert R. Ford, 59, of Chino, Calif.; his wife, Patricia Ford, 57; their son, Richard Ford, 36; and, his son, Matthew, 4.
Ouray Mountain Rescue Capt. Tim Eihausen and Jeff Skoloda will leave for the crash site in predawn hours, before the steep slopes have time to become warmer and less stable, Berry said.
The helicopter cannot land at the site. The men will assess at the scene whether they can safely conduct the recovery.
Civil Air Patrol fliers found the wreckage Friday, the day after relatives reported the plane was overdue at Elbert, about 150 miles away. The Fords have a vacation home there.
Family members could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
Staff writer Electa Draper can be reached at 970-385-0917 or edraper@denverpost.com.
