A father and his two sons died after the small aircraft they were traveling in crashed in the remote mountains of western Colorado.
Mark Hendrickson, 46, was flying the plane with his sons Alan, 15, and Case, 13, aboard when it went down near Swampy Pass in the Gunnison National Forest.
Gunnison County officials said rescuers found all three victims dead when they reached the crash site.
The Hendricksons were from New Castle in Garfield County. They are survived by Mark’s wife, Jenni, and another son.
The boys’ aunt, Niccole Ruby Hendrickson, confirmed the deaths in an online statement. “Dearest friends and family, we ask for your prayers as we process the unthinkable; yesterday my husband Scott’s brother Mark and our two nephews Alan & Case tragically lost their lives in a plane crash,” she wrote.
“We need you to wrap our sister in law, their son/brother Coen, my in-laws, my husband, kids and family in unrelenting prayers.”
Mark Hendrickson, 46, was piloting the aircraft with his sons Alan, 15, and Case, 13, aboard when it crashed near Swampy Pass in the Gunnison National Forest
Mark is pictured with his three sons. Alan and Case, shown alongside their surviving brother, were killed in the crash
Niccole also shared a statement from Mark’s wife, Jenni, who wrote: “I never thought I would have to write these words.
“My loves of my life, Mark and our two beautiful boys Alan and Case tragically passed away in a plane crash yesterday.”
“Our family’s world is broken. Thank you for loving each of them and for holding us in your hearts and prayers.”
Emergency crews were dispatched to the isolated area near Swampy Pass at about 9:20 a.m. Saturday after a 911 caller reported the crash.
Hendrickson and both boys were pronounced dead at the scene.
Officials have not said what kind of aircraft Hendrickson was operating, where it was headed or what caused it to crash.
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Federal Aviation Administration records show that Hendrickson had held a private pilot’s license since at least 2023.
His certification allowed him to fly single-engine, fixed-wing aircraft intended for land operations under the FAA’s Airplane Single-Engine Land, or ASEL, rating.
The aircraft went down near Swampy Pass in the Gunnison National Forest
The crash is being investigated by the Gunnison County Sheriff’s Office, the National Transportation Safety Board, the FAA and the U.S. Forest Service.
Gunnison County said it “extends its deepest condolences to the Hendrickson family during this difficult time.”
“The Hendrickson family wishes to express their sincere gratitude for the respect, compassion, and support they have received following this devastating tragedy,” county officials said in a press release.
‘Additional information regarding the investigation will be released by the appropriate investigating agencies as it becomes available.’
Hendrickson earned his bachelor’s of engineering from Pittsburgh State University in 2003 after majoring in construction management, his LinkedIn profile said.
He had been working as a manager at Denver-based Shaw Construction LLC at the time of the crash.
According to his profile, he had worked at the firm for nearly 10 years.
The Hendrickson family in an undated photo. Jenni, front, says their ‘world is broken’ by the tragic deaths of Mark, Alan and Case
Alan played on the varsity football and baseball teams at his local high school, according to the MaxPreps high school athletics database.
Little is known about Case’s extracurricular activities.
This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.
