Plane Went Down In Mountainous Terrain Near Aspen, CO

The pilot and a passenger aboard a 2017 Cirrus SR22T airplane were rescued uninjured after they were forced to use the plane's full-airframe parachute system following an in-flight emergency.

The incident occurred while the aircraft was flying near Aspen, CO. The Aspen Daily News reports that the Pitkin County Sheriff's Office was notified by air traffic controllers at Aspen-Pitkin County Airport (KASE) that the pilot had declared an emergency at about 3:25 Monday afternoon. The plane went down about five miles northeast of Aspen.

The pilot, identified as Tyler Noel of Verona, WI, reported that the instruments on the airplane "went haywire" and that there were problems with the engine. The visibility was reported to be low due to snow, and Noel made the decision to activate the parachute system.

First responders were able to maintain communications with Tyler and his wife Kristina, who was a passenger aboard the airplane, using cell phones through the evening. The two were reportedly not prepared to spend the night in the wilderness with the airplane. Temperatures were forecast to drop into the single digits overnight.

Mountain Rescue Aspen was activated, and a ground search was mounted. The Noels were found with the plane at about 6:25 p.m.

(Image from file. Not accident airplane)

FMI: Source report