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Low-flying plane buzzes Durango Tuesday night

Large craft makes 2 passes

A large, low-flying plane made two passes Tuesday night over Durango and the Animas Valley, shaking houses and inspiring awe among some residents.

The first pass occurred about 9:30 p.m. when the plane lumbered north up the Animas Valley. The second pass occurred 5 or 10 minutes later as the plane traveled south, directly over town.

Drew Semel was at his office in the Durango Smiley Building when the plane buzzed town.

“I thought there was going to be a crash; it was so low,” Semel said. “It definitely shook the building.”

The plane appeared to be less than 1,000 feet off the ground. Some residents said it appeared level with or below the mountaintops that make up the Animas Valley. It was dark, so it was difficult to identify the craft, but it resembled a C-130 – a four-engine turboprop military transport plane.

A similar plane made several passes, day and night, for about a week during the spring of 2015.

A spokesman at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs said it wasn’t flying any aircraft in this area at that time. A spokesman at Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque did not return a phone call Wednesday seeking comment.

shane@durangoherald.com

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