Some trails closed in Boulder County Thursday during plane crash wreckage recovery
Some trails were closed in Boulder County on Thursday while crews removed the wreckage of a plane crash near South Boulder Peak. A man and a toddler were killed in the crash on Oct. 4 near Eldorado Canyon.
A private contractor with the National Transportation Safety Board will remove the plane from the crash site. Crews with the Rocky Mountain Rescue Group, City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks, and the Boulder County Sheriff's Office Emergency Services Unit will be assisting with the plane extrication.
"It's very highly skilled for the helicopter pilot to be able to have this type of work be something that they're able to do. So, this helicopter, I believe, is out of the Western Slope area of Colorado, so we had to bring them in to do this operation today. So it took a little while to get that coordinated, and that's why we're a couple of weeks out," said Carrie Haverfield, communications specialist with the Boulder County Sheriff's Office.
The following trails were closed at 6 a.m. Thursday with an anticipated reopening around 5 p.m.
- South Boulder Creek West Trailhead
- South Mesa Trailhead
- Bear Peak Trail (between Bear Peak and South Boulder Peak)
- Homestead Trail
- Lower Big Bluestem Trail/Thomas Lane
- Shadow Canyon North Trail
- Shadow Canyon South Trail
- Shadow Canyon Trail
- South Boulder Creek West Trail
- Towhee Trail
- Upper Big Bluestem Trail
Boulder County officials said other trails may be closed depending on circumstances during the removal of the plane.
There were two people on board the fixed-wing aircraft when it went missing near Eldorado Springs. The wreckage was spotted the next morning in remote, rugged terrain. Both 43-year-old Aaron Gingrich and three-year-old Isabella Gingrich were killed in the crash.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board and the Boulder County Sheriff's Office.
