A pilot died on Montana Mountain in Gilpin County on Thursday afternoon, as crews struggled for hours to reach the rugged site at 9,000 feet.
The surviving passenger in the private single-engine Cessna was lifted off the mountain more than three hours after the 4 p.m. crash by an Air National Guard Black Hawk helicopter from Buckley Air Force Base, as ground crews continued to try to reach the site.
Officials have not identified the 23-year-old passenger or the 55-year-old pilot. The plane was flying from Glenwood Springs to Boulder for a graduation ceremony.
Cherokee Blake, a spokeswoman for the Gilpin County Sheriff’s Office, said the men’s families are still being contacted.
The crash site is about 4 miles west of Black Hawk.
The weather was clear and sunny when the plane crashed, but wind and threatening clouds swept in, hampering efforts as rescuers plotted to reach the site by land and air.
