Two men are recovering well after a plane crash in the Roaring Fork Valley on Sunday. Pilot Benoit de la Vaissiere was flying with a friend, when he had engine trouble just south of Glenwood Springs.
De la Vaissiere crashed his recently purchased, single engine Cessna, near Highway 82 and Cattle Creek Road. The pilot has spent many years handling aircraft, according to a friend who declined to be named on Monday. The friend also said the aircraft did not take off from the Glenwood Airport, contrary to what’s been described by the Garfield County Sheriff’s office. It's unclear where the plane began its ill-fated journey.
The pilot’s friend confirmed de la Vaissiere and his passenger, who has been identified only as “Dmitre,” are healing well. The National Transportation Safety Board has finished its onsite investigation of the crash, and is putting together a formal report. The Garfield County Sheriff’s Office says the plane will remain at the site of the accident until removed by the owner.
