Investigators: Airplane in spin before fatal crash near Ridgway

GRAND JUNCTION – Investigators say the pilot of a small, single-engine airplane that crashed into a reservoir near Ridgway, killing all five people aboard, reported to an air traffic controller that his aircraft was “in a spin” and he was trying to recover it.

The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel reported that the detail was released by the National Transportation Safety Board, which will conduct a more thorough investigation now that the aircraft has been retrieved from Ridgway Reservoir south of Montrose.

Killed in the March 22 crash were 48-year-old Jimmy Hill, 40-year-old Katrina Barksdale; Barksdale’s sons, 11-year-old Kobe and 8-year-old Xander; and Barksdale’s 14-year-old nephew, Seth McDuffie. All were from Gadsden, Ala., where the flight originated.

The group was on a spring break skiing trip.

Man who died in ski crash suffered chest injuries

ASPEN – An Aspen ski resort employee who died while skiing at the Snowmass Ski Area suffered multiple chest injuries.

The Pitkin County Coroner’s Office says 47-year-old Jeffrey Beadle was found by another skier unconscious and unresponsive Thursday afternoon.

The Aspen Daily News reported that Beadle, originally from Centralia, Ill., worked as a lift operator at Aspen ski resort.

Beadle, who was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash, was found in a remote, expert-only area that took time to reach.

Associated Press