TELLURIDE, Colo. — The two people who died in the crash of a small plane near Telluride Regional Airport on Thursday have been identified.
The pilot was identified as 48-year-old Bryan Lee Kill. The San Miguel County Sheriff's Office said he was from Huachuca City, Arizona, and recently of Telluride.
The Sheriff's Office on Saturday identified the passenger as Mana Mohtasham, 37, of Southern California. She has relatives in California and Iran, the Sheriff's Office said.
According to a Facebook post from the Sheriff's Office, the single-engine plane was approaching the airport at around 1:30 p.m. when the airport lost contact with the aircraft and several witnesses reported seeing the plane go down.
The sheriff's office said the crash site was located around 2:30 p.m. and both people on board were found to be dead.
The sheriff's office, San Miguel Search and Rescue, Telluride Fire Department/EMS and the San Miguel County coroner are investigating the scene and working to recover the victims, according to the post.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the plane was a single-engine Vans RV-4 and that it went down about half a mile east of the airport.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash.
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