Aerial Photographer Killed in Plane Crash During Training Exercise
A photographer and a pilot were killed after a Civil Air Patrol plane crashed while conducting an aerial photography training exercise this weekend.
Aerial photographer Jay Robertson was killed in a plane crash in Larimer County, Colorado at around 11.12 A.M. on Saturday.
The aircraft’s pilot Susan Wolber was also killed in the crash. Meanwhile, the co-pilot Randall Settergren was injured and airlifted to a hospital with severe injuries.
The Civil Air Patrol plane crashed while conducting a routine aerial photographing training mission amid the rugged peaks of Larimer County, according to a report by The New York Times.
The team was conducting a routine training exercise in a Cessna 182 under what local news described as very windy conditions. The flight took place in an area heavily affected by the Alexander Mountain fire earlier this summer.
The New York Times reports that the crash occurred within the fire’s burn scar area, though the training exercise was not necessarily connected to the fire. The National Transportation Safety Board, the Federal Aviation Administration, local authorities, and the sheriff’s office will collaborate to determine the cause of the crash.
In a press release, Governor Jared Polis of Colorado paid tribute to Robertson and Wolber for their contribution to the state.
“I’m saddened to hear of the loss of two dedicated Civil Air Patrol members, Pilot Susan Wolber and aerial photographer Jay Rhoten, who lost their lives in today’s crash and my thoughts are with their families, friends, and colleagues,” Governor Polis says in a statement.
“These individuals, along with survivor co-pilot Randall Settergren, who was injured, served the Civil Air Patrol as volunteers who wanted to help make Colorado a better, safer place for all.
“The State of Colorado is grateful for their commitment to service and it will not be forgotten. I also want to thank the first responders who assisted with the rescue and recovery efforts,”
The Civil Air Patrol, the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, is a nonprofit organization with 60,000 members nationwide, operating a fleet of 550 aircraft.
It performs continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions and is credited by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center with saving an average of 70 lives annually.
Its unpaid professionals also perform homeland security, disaster relief, and drug interdiction missions at the request of federal, state, and local agencies.
