ERIE, Colo. (KKTV) – Two men in their early 20s have been identified as the victims in a small plane crash north of Denver earlier this month.
On the afternoon of Oct. 18, Erie police say a small aircraft crashed just east of the runway at the Erie Municipal Airport. Erie is about 25 miles northwest of Denver and 13 miles east of Boulder.
The Erie Police Department later updated that the pilot and passenger had not survived.
“We are heartbroken to share that there were no survivors in the single-engine plane crash that occurred earlier today,” the police department said. “… Our deepest sympathies are with their families and loved ones as they face this unimaginable loss.”
Monday, the Weld County Coroner’s Office announced the identities of two on board: 22-year-old Niles Tilenius of San Mateo County, California; and 21-year-old William Johnston of Hillsborough County, Florida.
CBS Denver reports Tilenius was working as a flight instructor in Erie and was piloting the plane. Johnston was on board as his student.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are still investigating what caused the crash.
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