Investigators over the weekend discovered the remains of a third man in a fatal plane crash near Wray that happened last week, authorities say.
Zach Hergott, 32, of Denver; David Carey, 53, of Wray; and Daniel Rojas, 33, of Parker were all killed in the crash Thursday morning, said Undersheriff Matthew Hardesty of the Yuma County Sheriff’s Department.
Hergott’s remains were not discovered until Saturday after his parents contacted authorities to ask about his whereabouts, said his father, Larry Hergott.
Only two names were on the flight manifest, and officials initially said only two people were killed. But when one of Hergott’s students called his parents Friday concerned about his welfare, the family began its own search, Larry Hergott said.
Zach Hergott was a flight instructor in Centennial.
Officials discovered his body Saturday morning amid the ashes of the plane, Hergott said.
The plane had gone down near Wray Municipal Airport in poor weather.
The pilot, who had been in contact with air-traffic controllers seeking direction because of poor visibility, was relying on instruments to land the plane, said Mike Fergus, spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration’s Northwest Mountain Region.
Visibility around the airport in Yuma County was 2 miles, and light snow had been falling, according to the National Weather Service in Boulder.
“They were on final approach to the airport when we lost contact,” Hardesty said.
The plane crashed about 7:30 a.m., 4 miles northeast of the airport, he said.
The plane burst into flames upon impact. It was an 11-seat, 690C model multi-engine turbo-prop made by Gulfstream AM Corp., according to the FAA.
Kirk Mitchell: 303-954-1206 or kmitchell@denverpost.com
