'Devastated': 2 dead after small plane crash in Colorado

Two people are dead and another is injured after a Civil Air Patrol plane crashed Saturday in northern Colorado.

The Civil Air Patrol, an auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, said the aircraft -- a Cessna 182 -- was being used for a search-and-rescue training exercise when it crashed in a mountainous area of Larimer County.

A spokesperson for the Larimer County Sheriff's Office said two of the crewmembers were pronounced deceased at the scene, while the third was airlifted to a nearby hospital with severe injuries.

The cause of the crash is not yet clear, and the National Transportation Safety Board said in a post on X that it's now investigating.

The Civil Air Patrol said it's "deeply saddened" by the crash and it will "cooperate fully" with the NTSB's investigation.

In a statement, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis and Maj. Gen. Laura Clellan, the adjutant general of Colorado, identified the deceased victims as pilot Susan Wolber and aerial photographer Jay Rhoten, and the injured survivor as co-pilot Randall Settergren.

The three Civil Air Patrol members had been "conducting a routine training mission training aerial photography," Polis said.

Polis said the three served in the Civil Air Patrol as "volunteers who wanted to help make Colorado a better, safer place for all."

"The State of Colorado is grateful for their commitment to service and it will not be forgotten. I also want to thank the first responders who assisted with the rescue and recovery efforts," Polis said.

Clellan expressed her "deepest condolences" to the families of the victims, and said the Civil Air Patrol is "devastated" by the crash.

"The volunteers of Civil Air Patrol are a valuable part of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, and the lifesaving work they do on a daily basis directly contributes to the public safety of Coloradans throughout the state," Clellan said.

According to the statement from Polis and Clellan, the Civil Air Patrol conducts a wide variety of missions, including "search-and-rescue of lost hikers or hunters, location of downed aircraft, and transport of emergency personnel or medical materials." They also "respond to disasters by transporting doctors, firefighters or emergency personnel to the areas in need."