Elbert County officials today released the name of the pilot killed in a plane crash Saturday afternoon at an airpark east of Parker.
John Peter Vinton, 49, was killed when the yellow single-engine plane corkscrewed to the ground at 3 p.m. Saturday at Rocky Mountain Airpark.
The passenger’s name was not released today, however, because the family requested privacy, an Elbert County coroner’s spokeswoman said.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration’s preliminary report released today, the CC-11 Carbon Cub, a light-sport two-seat aircraft, “nosed over” and crashed shortly after takeoff.
Vinton was the developer of the airpark, which has residential lots along a runway, with sales focused on people who own small planes.
Dave Plucker, a flight instructor and friend of Vinton’s, said Sunday that Vinton was giving a flying lesson at the time of the crash.
According to the airpark’s web page, Vinton was a former U.S. Navy pilot with more than 30 years of aviation experience. He also was a former United Airlines flight instructor at the company’s Flight Training Center in Denver.
Rocky Mountain Airpark posted on its Facebook page today: “Pete Vinton: Aviator, friend, a great guy in general. Those who knew him will miss him dearly.”
