Archive for Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Plane wreckage found; both men killed
Authorities locate Cessna near Fish Creek Reservoir
Steamboat Springs Authorities have found the wreckage of a twin-engine Cessna that disappeared Sunday morning.
Levi Klapperich of Durango and Mark Klapperich of Hayden died in the wreck. The plane was found about 1 p.m. today, six miles east of Steamboat Springs near Fish Creek Reservoir.
"We had a ground crew that was working that area yesterday, and they just had a hunch and went back to that area today," said Randall Hannaway, a member of Routt County Search and Rescue.
The plane that Levi Klapperich was flying disappeared Sunday morning after leaving Yampa Valley Regional Airport in Hayden.
The father and son were heading for Fort Collins-Loveland Municipal Airport. Their destination was Boulder, for the annual Bolder Boulder 10K race. Several members of the family planned to run it this year, Doug Klapperich said. He is Mark Klapperich's nephew and Levi Klapperich's cousin.
"It was mainly family from Colorado that had assembled on the Front Range to rendezvous and run the race Monday," Doug Klapperich said.
On Monday, the Civil Air Patrol expanded the search to encompass 4,000 square miles in 11 counties. That included nine in Colorado and two in Wyoming, said Maj. Mark Young, Civil Air Patrol spokesman. The search had covered the same area today, he said.
Aircraft out of towns including Steamboat Springs, Grand Junction, Montrose and Durango were searching, Young said.
Young and the Klapperich family had been optimistic. The two men had some survival supplies, Young said.
Hannaway said it was too early to determine the cause of the crash. The National Transportation Safety Board would probably come and review the scene, he said.
"We'd like to thank all who helped in this search; it was a tremendous amount of folks," Hannaway said.
To reach Blythe Terrell, call 871-4234 or e-mail bterrell@steamboatpilot.com
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