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Engine failure caused Archuleta County plane crash

A small plane crashed in Archuleta County after one of its engines failed Friday, according to a statement from the Archuleta County Sheriff’s Office.

Robert “Bobby” Bennett, 70, from Midothian, Texas, and Svetlana Solodovnyk, 35, from the Ukraine both died when the 1964 S-35 Bonanza went down near U.S. Highway 84 south of Pagosa Springs.

The couple came to Pagosa Springs for the air race on Saturday, and they were flying the course the day prior, the statement said.

Bennett’s plane began having mechanical problems between course one and course two.

Bennett’s friend and a fellow racer was flying ahead of him when Bennett radioed to say he had lost an engine and was going down, the statement said.

By the time Bennett’s friend returned, the plane was already engulfed in flames on the ground.

Officials from the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are conducting an independent investigation into the cause of the crash.

mshinn@durangoherald.com



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