The pilot of a single-engine plane that crashed Sunday in Eagle County walked away with minor injuries, according to the sheriff’s office.
Investigators believe the plane’s engine failed midflight, causing it to clip a tree and crash near Dotsero, in the 1200 block of Sweetwater Road, according to a from the Eagle County Sheriff’s Office.
Dotsero is roughly 18 miles northeast of Glenwood Springs and 43 miles west of Vail.
The crash involved a Stinson 108-3 single-engine airplane, according to the National Transportation Safety Board, which is investigating the incident.
teams will look at flight tracking data, recordings of air traffic control communications, airplane maintenance records and the pilot’s license, ratings and recency of flight experience during the investigation, a spokesperson for the agency said.
The plane is registered to an owner in Edwards, a town roughly 30 miles east of the crash site, according to Federal Aviation Administration .
Vail Public Safety Communications was notified about the incident by a Garmin alert shortly after 2 p.m. Sunday, according to the sheriff’s office. Shortly after, someone called to report the plane crash.
Eagle County deputies responded to the crash site and found a 48-year-old man with a minor cut. He was the plane’s pilot, sheriff’s officials said.
The nearby plane had crashed onto its nose with its tail in the air, photos from the sheriff’s office show.
No one else was on board the plane at the time of the crash, and no other injuries were reported, according to the sheriff’s office.
Anyone who witnessed the accident, or who has surveillance video or other information that could be relevant to the investigation, is asked to contact federal investigators at witness@ntsb.gov.
This is a developing story and may be updated.
