The pilot of a small, single-engine biplane was injured when his plane crashed on a mountain summit about 14 miles east of Montrose on Wednesday morning.
A Montrose County spokeswoman said emergency responders were called to the scene of the crash on Cerro Summit off U.S. 50 at about 7:15 a.m.
“The pilot is in stable condition and has been transported to Montrose Memorial Hospital,” the county said in a news release.
The plane went down in a field, the release said. Officials identified the pilot at Stephen Mathis, of Montrose, and said he was en route to the town of Elbert to meet up with friends as part of a trip to a biplane show in Kansas.
A crew of five workers from the Gunnison County Public Works Department witnessed the crash and were the first to reach Mathis. Authorities say the workers freed him from the plane.
A photo of the aircraft showed it badly mangled in the field where it went down.
Authorities say the National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the crash.
Jesse Paul: 303-954-1733, jpaul@denverpost.com or
