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4 victims identified in Teller County plane crash

Bruce Claremont, Laurie Aves and Roger and Katherine Duncan, all from Florence, were dead at the scene

The Teller County Coroner’s Office has identified the four victims of a plane crash near the Teller/Fremont County line.

Bruce Claremont, Laurie Aves and Roger and Katherine Duncan died at the scene of the crash, Coroner Stephen Tomsky confirmed to The Gazette Monday morning.

All four victims, whose ages were not provided, were from Florence, the coroner said.

The wreckage was found early Sunday, nearly a day after the plane failed to arrive at its destination, according to a National Transportation Safety Board spokesman. The Federal Aviation Administration and NTSB are investigating the crash.

The NTSB told The Gazette a small aircraft left the Fremont County Airport around 9:30 a.m. Saturday, bound for Centennial Airport near Denver, but never made it. The plane was reportedly spotted near Phantom Canyon Road by another aircraft at about 8:30 a.m. Sunday.

The spokesman said the aircraft, a single-engine Pool-Cessna T-41B2, crashed into the mountains southeast of Victor and caught on fire.

“An NTSB investigator began yesterday documenting the scene, examining the aircraft, requested any air traffic communications, radar data, weather reports and (tried) to contact any witnesses,” the spokesman said in a written statement.

That investigator will also seek the aircraft’s maintenance records and the pilot’s flight history and medical records, he said.

The NTSB does not determine the crash’s cause in the early stages of the investigation, he said, and a preliminary report may be released in 10-12 business days.



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