4 dead after plane crashes near Fremont/Teller county line shortly after takeoff

TELLER COUNTY, Colo. (KKTV) - The four people on a plane that crashed in southern Colorado are all confirmed dead.

A spokesperson for the Teller County Sheriff’s Office tells 11 News the office was contacted overnight Saturday into Sunday after people on board a small aircraft failed to arrive as scheduled. Another plane spotted the wreck at 8:30 Sunday morning in a remote area off Phantom Canyon Road and called it in.

Based on preliminary information from the FAA, the aircraft is a single-engine Cessna T-41B that departed the Fremont County Airport near Canon City at 9:30 Saturday morning with four people on board. The plane was en route to the Centennial Airport near Denver, but crashed shortly after take-off.

Due to the remote area and rugged terrain, first responders had to hike to the plane, the sheriff’s office said.

“It is quite a hike from the road,” the sheriff’s office spokesperson told 11 News.

She confirmed with 11 News just after 11 a.m. that the team had reached the wreck site. When 11 News Reporter Lauren Watson drove down Phantom Canyon Road later that afternoon, deputies still had a side road near the county line blocked off.

The Teller County coroner’s office confirmed Sunday night that all four people are dead. On Monday, the Teller County Coroner’s Office identified the victims as Bruce Claremount, Laurie Aves, Roger Duncan and Katherine Duncan. All four were from Florence.

The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will be investigating the crash, and Teller County officials said all further updates will be provided by NTSB.

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