Crime and Public Safety | Two killed in plane crash after taking off from Longmont identified
Jun. 18—The two people who died in a Steamboat Springs plane crash after taking off from Vance Brand Airport in Longmont have been identified by the Routt County Coroner's Office.
Dan Dunn, 67, and Jessica Pauline Melton, 42, were identified Tuesday afternoon. Their residences were not disclosed, but the plane is registered under the business name of High County Aero with a Berthoud address in Larimer County linked to Dunn, according to FAA records.
According to Larimer County property records, Dunn owns the property at 951 Cougar Run Lane in Berthoud. Melton's residency has not yet been confirmed.
Dunn was piloting the plane and Melton was the passenger, according to the coroner's office.
The two were in a twin-engine Cessna 421 airplane which was on route to Ogden, Utah from Longmont Monday afternoon, according to a post by Steamboat Springs Fire Rescue. Police were dispatched to the West Acres Mobile park in Steamboat Springs at 4:23 p.m. Monday where two homes were found ablaze from the crash.
No residents of the neighborhood were injured.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation, but according to preliminary reports from the Federal Aviation Administration, the plane was experiencing engine issues. The report also classified the flight as a "personal" flight.
The Denver Post contributed to this report.
