Durango – San Miguel County Search and Rescue early Sunday located one body and the wreckage of a Texas aircraft that crashed Friday morning into the summit of 14,000-foot Wilson Peak.
Wreckage was strewn over a 2-square-mile area on sheer slopes between 13,000 and 14,000 feet, the San Miguel Sheriff’s Office reported. Rescuers found only the body of one woman and some small remains of the other two or three victims.
Recovery team members will work today to retrieve and identify more remains and wreckage amid ice, snow and rockfalls, Cpl. Michael Bourke said.
Authorities believe the pilot and passengers were Mark Dennis Cochran, 27, of Dallas; Brendan Culbert, 25, of Bellaire, Texas; and Kristin Kirkley, 26, of Dallas.
A fourth victim is likely, San Miguel County Coroner Bob Dempsey said. He is believed to be James Flanagin, 25, of Houston.
The group, flying in a Bonanza Debonair single-engine plane, was en route to the Telluride Blues and Brews Festival from the Dallas metro area. The group was due in Telluride Friday. Authorities have said bad weather might have been a factor.
A U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter, crew from the Eagle Colorado High Altitude Aviation Center and Devon Felix of Olathe Spray Service Helicopter assisted 16 members of the San Miguel search team on Sunday.
Staff writer Electa Draper can be reached at 970-385-0917 or at edraper@denverpost.com.
