Two men were treated and released from a Longmont hospital after the vintage twin-engine plane they were flying crashed Thursday morning, according to Weld County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Margie Martinez.
Stan Peterson was piloting the plane and instructing David Gianakos, who was in the co-pilot’s seat, she said.
The plane is assigned to the Commemorative Air Force Mile High Wing, which is based at the Platte Valley Airpark near Fort Lupton. Peterson is wing leader and Gianakos is a member of the wing, according to wing staffer Paul LaPrad.
The plane, a 1951 Beechcraft, crashed on the Boulder-Weld county line near Erie after reportedly experiencing engine problems.
Peterson, 64, of Boulder, and Gianakos, 52, of Littleton, were both taken to Longmont United Hospital where one was treated for a back injury and both for facial injuries, Martinez said.
The plane is owned by the American Airpower Heritage Museum in Midland, Texas.
The museum owns more than 100 planes assigns to the groups in 28 states and four foreign countries, spokeswoman Kay Crites said.
The museum and the Federal Aviation Administration will conduct an investigation, she said.
The plane was up to date with its FAA-required inspections for every 100 flight hours, Crites said.
“It would not have flown otherwise,” she said.
Authorities said the plane appeared to be heading west around 9 a.m., when it clipped the tops of several trees and crashed near Weld County Road 1, north of Colorado 52. The plane skidded across the county road and came to a stop in Boulder County.
The plane caught fire but two men inside were able to climb out.
A power pole snapped during the crash, causing some power outages, which Xcel Energy restored, she said.
Staff writer Sara Crocker can be reached at 303-954-1661 or at scrocker@denverpost.com
