Man with local ties dies in plane crash

Story courtesy of El Dorado Springs Sun; El Dorado Springs, MO
El Dorado Springs Postmaster William Michael (Mike) Fritts, 39, along with his wife, Pam, and their daughter, Jenna, had flown in their 1956 model Beech G35 single engine aircraft to a valley near Marble, about 125 miles west of Denver, CO, to vacation. Mike was going to be off work for some period of time while he recovered from recent shoulder surgery.
Two passengers were with Mike when the plane crashed reportedly about 15 minutes after taking off from a grass runway in the valley where they were camping. Pam and Jenna were not in the plane at the time of the crash.
The two survivors were taken to a local hospital, one with critical injuries.
An FAA spokesman said the cause of the crash is not known yet.
According to the Gunnison County Sheriff’s Office:
06/06/10, at approximately 6:50 a.m., officers, Fire and EMS responded to a report of a plane crash near Marble.  Investigations revealed that there were three adults aboard a V-tail Beechcraft Bonanza that went down in a heavily wooded area.  The male pilot, from Missouri, in his late 30s, was pronounced dead at the scene. Two female passengers, one in her twenties, the other in her fifties, both from Arizona, were hospitalized in Glenwood Springs with what has been termed, “recoverable injuries.” Preliminary investigations reveal that the small plane lifted off from the Marble Airfield and was in flight for approximately 10 minutes before it crashed.  Eye witnesses stated that they did not detect that the airplane was having engine problems when it went down. The National Traffic Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration has taken over the investigation at this...
Read the complete story in the June 17th edition. Preliminary findings from the NTB can be read in the July 1st edition.
PHOTO: CRASH SITE – The Gunnison County sheriff’s office supplied this photo of the site where Mike Fritts’ plane crashed Sunday, June 6. Also, photo of Mike Fritts.