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Memorial Planned For Pilot Who Died In Gilpin Co.

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May 11, 2008 5:05 pm US/Mountain

Memorial Planned For Pilot Who Died In Gilpin Co.

Plane Crashed In Remote Area In Gilpin County

BLACK HAWK, Colo. (AP) ― A memorial service will be held next week for the man killed in the Gilpin County plane crash.

Rescuers used a snowcat and climbed a steep mountainside Friday to recover the body of the pilot of a single-engine plane that crashed in the mountains west of Denver.

The pilot has been identified as 47-year-old Barry Maggert, the brother of professional golfer Jeff Maggert.

Snow slowed rescuers' efforts to reach the site Friday, a rugged, forested area just west of the gambling town of Black Hawk, 40 miles west of Denver. Crews used snowshoes to climb and reach the wreckage.

The plane, a 1965 Cessna 1982 co-owned by Barry Maggert, went down Thursday. He reported engine trouble before the plane dropped off radar at 3:45 p.m., said Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Mike Fergus. The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board were investigating.

Passenger Jonathan Holton, 23, was rescued before nightfall Thursday and flown to a Denver hospital. Gilpin County Sheriff's office spokeswoman Cherokee Blake said Holton, a family friend, suffered a broken ankle.

Barry Maggert, of Carbondale, was on his way to Boulder for his son Lee's graduation from the University of Colorado. Maggert had 23-year-old twin sons, Lee and Bryant.

Jeff Maggert withdrew from The Players Championship in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., on Thursday, telling tournament officials that his older brother died in the crash.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with Jeff and his family," PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem said.

Lee Maggert was to graduate from the University of Colorado Friday.

University spokesman Bronson Hilliard said a moment of silence is traditionally held before each commencement ceremony for students and students' family members who died during the school year but that the Maggert family was not mentioned at Friday's ceremony.

Barry Maggert, a structural engineer with his own firm in Carbondale, was a former chairman of the Garfield County Libertarian Party, Carbondale Mayor Michael Hassig said.

"More than his political views, what I remember most is just what a dedicated family man he was, how proud he was of his family and how much he loved them," Hassig said. "He was a clear thinker, relished debate and argument and was always respectful in that regard."

The Carbondale Valley Journal offered Maggert an unpaid position as a columnist, said editor and general manager John Stroud.

"He's not in the mainstream as far as the Carbondale political viewpoint," Stroud said, adding Maggert wrote a column for about 10 years but was considering dropping it after losing a recent run for the county Board of Trustees.

Nearly 50 people, some on snowmobiles, assisted in Thursday's rescue at an altitude above 10,400 feet, said Alpine Rescue Team spokesman Bill Barwick.

A Black Hawk helicopter from Buckley Air Force Base lowered rescuers to the crash site.

The Maggert family issued a statement thanking everyone for their support. They are asking that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the various rescue agencies.

(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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