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Friends, family remember pilots who died in crash

P-51 fighter brought smiles to both men
Michael Schlarb and John Earley were killed just after takeoff Friday in Earley’s vintage P-51 Mustang. The crash site, near the Durango-La Plata County Airport, could be seen from County Road 309A. Wreckage was cleared Saturday.

Friends and family of Michael Schlarb and John Earley on Monday remembered the pilots who died shortly after taking flight Friday morning from Durango-La Plata County Airport in a World War II fighter plane.

The iconic aircraft was one of the 123 P-51 Mustangs in the United States, which Earley bought a year ago and, with the help of Schlarb, learned to fly.

“A P-51 Mustang is one of those planes that is on everyone’s bucket list, in aviation, to even see or get a chance to fly, it was a real honor for Mike to be in that position,” said Bridget McKee, aviation mechanic for TriState CareFlight. “He would always say how lucky he was.”

The P-51, which cost Earley more than $1 million, was maintained by Schlarb, an experienced flight instructor and fixed-wing pilot for TriState CareFlight.

Schlarb was instructing Earley in the P-51 because he was not certified to fly the Mustang by himself yet. Earley’s insurance company required him to build up hours with an instructor, said Kitty Cullin, a flight nurse for TriState CareFlight.

Cullin was one of three team members who witnessed the accident Friday morning.

The plane crashed about 90 feet from the County Road 309A in Paul McCaw’s hay field.

McCaw said the plane was removed from the field Saturday.

Earley and Schlarb had been flying together for about a year, McKee said.

Schlarb helped Earley get his private pilot license and together they flew a Boeing T-6 and eventually transitioned to flying the P-51 Mustang, she said.

Schlarb did not consider his time spent with Earley flying and doing maintenance on the P-51 to be work; it was something he really enjoyed, Cullin said.

The P-51 was Earley’s dream come true; he was very passionate about it, Cullin said.

“He was so happy and so content with his plane,” said Jenny Shaw, who witnessed the accident. “He fulfilled a lot of peoples’ dreams just to see the P-51.”

A lawyer spoke on behalf of the Earley family, saying they did not want to comment on the accident.

Before becoming a pilot, Schlarb was part of the Durango Fire Department.

“Mike was a phenomenal individual who excelled in the fire service and moved up to the rank of engineer but had a love and a passion to be a pilot, and he pursued that,” said Dan Noonan, chief of the Durango Fire Protection District.

Schlarb was a flight instructor for more than 20 years as well as a certified mechanic, McKee said.

“If there was ever a mechanical problem or a problem with the weather, you knew he could get you through it,” Cullin said.

He was an impeccable pilot who was 150 percent aviation, McKee said

It was hard to see the accident happen after they had just taken off, Shaw said.

“They were genuinely two of the best guys, and I can’t say that about a lot of people,” she said.

The National Transportation Safety Board was notified about the crash, and its investigators arrived from Denver Friday night.

tferraro@durangoherald.com

This story has been modified to say Mike Schlarb was a member of the Durango Fire Department, before it became the Durango Fire Protection District.

Memorial service

A potluck memorial for Michael Schlarb will be held at 10:15 a.m. Saturday, July 12, 2014, at the La Plata County Fairgrounds, 2500 Main Ave, in Durango. Durango Fire Protection District will lead a procession from the fairgrounds to the Val Air Airport at 10:15 a.m. Participants can also meet at 11 a.m. at Val-Air, 27290 U.S. Highway 550.

Bring stories to help celebrate his life.

Jul 29, 2016
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