Authorities ID victims in Colorado plane crash; 2 from California, 1 from Washington state

Authorities ID victims in Colorado plane crash

CENTRAL CITY, Colo. — Authorities say two people from California and one from Washington state died when their single-engine plane crashed and burned in the northern Colorado mountains.

The Gilpin County sheriff’s office has identified the victims of Wednesday’s crash as 70-year-old John Howard, the pilot, and 56-year-old Catherine Heveran, both of Sunnyvale, Calif.; and 25-year-old James Chatham of Spokane, Wash., a friend of Heveran’s daughter.

Authorities say the plane was flying from Boulder to California when it crashed near Rollins Pass. U.S. Forest Service employees responded to reports of smoke and found the severely burned single-engine Beech Bonanza.

Investigators from the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board were expected to return to the crash site Saturday.