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Missing plane found in Colorado

2 passengers killed in crash

Archuleta County law-enforcement officials have found the single-engine aircraft that went missing Friday.

The Pagosa Springs Sun reported that the aircraft, belonging to an Albuquerque man, was found at 12:37 p.m. in southern Archuleta County.

Both passengers on board were killed in the crash.

The travelers believed to be on board were 42-year-old Melissa Watson and her 55-year-old boyfriend, Howard Guthrie, according to KRQE News 13, in Albuquerque.

The search was focused primarily in Colorado, where the last known GPS location was received from the aircraft.

The aircraft was en route to Pagosa Springs on Friday from Moriarty, New Mexico. Authorities suspect the couple hit inclement weather conditions in Colorado and attempted to turn around.

According to the Archuleta County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page, authorities used resources from nearby counties.

Archuleta County Search and Rescue met Wednesday morning with members of La Plata County, Mineral County and Southern Ute Search and Rescue.

Ground teams also were sent to the search area and searched for any physical evidence of a downed airplane.

A C-130 aircraft from the United States Air Force flew the area Tuesday night with forward looking infrared capability, but the search did not produce any clues at the time.

vguthrie@durangoherald.com



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