Jacy Marmaduke

jmarmaduke@coloradoan.com

Two men were killed in a Monday morning plane crash at Culver Reservoir southwest of Berthoud.

Update: Authorities ID Larimer plane crash victims

Witnesses told Berthoud Fire Protection District officers they saw the single-engine Cessna plane spiral down and nosedive into the reservoir about 7:40 a.m. The plane's two passengers were in the water for about 50 minutes before divers removed them from the plane, according to the Larimer County Sheriff's Office.

The men were pronounced dead when they arrived at an undisclosed area hospital, according to the sheriff's office. Their names have not been released.

The plane, a Cessna 172, crashed 30 to 40 feet from the shore of Culver Reservoir, which adjoins Blue Mountain Reservoir and is a couple miles south of Carter Lake off South County Road 23E. The plane is registered to Broomfield flight school McAir Aviation, and its registration number is N2461N, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.

McAir Aviation representatives declined to comment on the crash but said the NTSB is investigating. The NTSB is responsible for investigating and determining the probable cause of all American civil aviation crashes.

The cause of the crash remains unknown. Determining the cause of a crash often takes the NTSB 12 to 18 months.

Emergency responders worked throughout Monday to remove the plane from the reservoir. Divers entered the water late Monday morning to insert air bags beneath the plane and try to float it closer to shore, eventually removing the plane from the reservoir at 3 p.m.

Fatal aircraft crashes are rare in Larimer County. The last fatal aircraft crash in the county occurred in March 2011, when 82-year-old Alfred Otto Herr of Fort Collins crashed a glider into a gully north of Wellington. The last fatal plane crash in Larimer County occurred in December 2010, when 50-year-old Charles Collum of Lyons crashed a single-engine Cessna plane near Carter Lake.

Anyone who saw the plane in the air or has information regarding the crash is asked to call investigator Drew Weber at 970-498-5172.

9News www.9news.com contributed to this report.

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