Plane Carrying Members Of Oklahoma State Basketball Program Crashed In Colorado 20 Years Ago
BYERS, Colo. (CBS4) - Wednesday marks 20 years since a devastating charter plane crash on Colorado's Eastern Plains. The crash on Jan. 27, 2001, killed 10 people, including players and staff from the Oklahoma State University men's basketball program.
The plane, a twin-engine Beech King Air 200, went down a short time after takeoff during a snowstorm at 6:37 p.m. The team had just played a game against the Colorado Buffaloes in Boulder and was returning to Stillwater, Oklahoma. There were two other chartered planes carrying other members of the program and they landed safely.
All of those onboard the Beech King were killed:
- Kendall Durfey
- Bjorn Fahlstrom
- Nate Fleming
- Will Hancock
- Dan Lawson
- Brian Luinstra
- Denver Mills
- Pat Noyes
- Bill Teegins
- Jared Weiberg
Six were staffers and broadcasters associated with OSU, two were players on the OSU men's basketball team and the pilot and co-pilot also died.
PHOTO GALLERY: See More Photos From The 2001 Tragedy
In a video posted on social media on Wednesday by the Oklahoma State basketball program, the brother of one of the victims said he has always been moved by how much effort the university has put into making sure those who lost their lives are properly remembered.
"I almost can't wrap my mind around the fact that it's been that long," said Chad Weiberg.
"The way Oklahoma State handled the tragedy speaks to exactly what makes this place special." - @ChadWeiberg#RT10 I #NewEra pic.twitter.com/WDNs1VU52L
— OSU Cowboy Basketball (@OSUMBB) January 27, 2021
The program also shared a video of the 2001 memorial service that took place on the university's campus five days later.
The Adams County Sheriff's Office posted a video on Facebook on Wednesday marking the sad anniversary. It shows images of the memorial that sits near the site of the crash in Byers. That memorial contains an engraving that reads in part:
This memorial is dedicated to the memory of the Ten loved ones and friends of Oklahoma State University who perished.
Several civil lawsuits were filed by family members of the crash victims in the years after the crash and numerous settlements were reached.