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Man killed in plane crash in Fremont County identified

Fremont County declares itself a ‘2nd Amendment Sanctuary County’
Posted at 5:19 PM, Feb 02, 2020
and last updated 2020-02-03 22:11:03-05

FREMONT COUNTY — One person was killed following a small plane crash on Department of Corrections property in Canon City Sunday, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.

The Fremont County Coroner has identified the man who died in the plane crash as 39-year-old David Merritt of Colorado Springs.

The small-engine piper with three people on board took off from Fremont County Airport around 2 p.m. on an instructional flight.

It crashed during takeoff in a ravine just west of the runaway on property adjacent to Colorado's Supermax prison, the maximum-security facility known officially as the USP Florence ADMAX.

The three on board included a flight instructor, a student, and a passenger whose role was unknown. Details as to the extent of injuries to the other two victims were not released.

The investigation into the cause of the crash is underway. NTSB investigators arrived on the scene Monday. They'll begin aircraft recovery and bring it to another location for further analysis.

The plane was recently sold to a company or person based in Fremont County, according to an FAA tail number inquiry.