TELLURIDE, CO — Two men working on aerial data for a surveying project were killed Thursday afternoon when their Cessna T206 crashed near Dolores Peak, roughly 15 miles from Telluride. San Miguel County Coroner Emil Sante identified the victims Friday morning as Randy Ramirez, 34, of Jupiter, Florida, and Belen, New Mexico, and Blake Klobuchar of Peralta, New Mexico, 20.
Authorities said the plane went down after leaving Grand Junction and was headed back to Belen. The crash drew a smoke report around 6:10 p.m., and dispatchers later said sheriff’s deputies were sent to the same area after reports of a citizen spotting the aircraft.
Smoke report and citizen sighting helped locate the wreckage
San Miguel County sheriff’s dispatchers were first notified by a 6:10 p.m. smoke report that a concerned resident had seen and called in. About nine minutes later, air traffic control contacted sheriff’s dispatchers to say the aircraft was missing from the same area where smoke had been seen.
Officials said the flight had not been in contact with Telluride Regional Airport, which had lost communication with the Cessna at the same location. That series of reports quickly focused searchers on the Dolores Peak area. After an assessment of the crash scene, investigators determined there were no survivors.
Ramirez had flown for years; Klobuchar worked the camera system
Ramirez was the pilot, and Sante said he had been flying since 2015. He had worked for Rexxam Imaging Inc. since April 2025 and was returning to Belen when the crash happened. Klobuchar served as the camera mapping operator and had been with the company since March 2024.
The company’s work involves collecting aerial data used for surveying, a specialized assignment that requires both flight time and imaging equipment. Authorities have not released additional details about what caused the crash. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the wreck.
County coroner releases names as family support begins
San Miguel County officials said the names were released after the coroner notified the families. The county also extended condolences to the victims’ loved ones and thanked everyone who helped during the response.
That response included local dispatchers, deputies and others who moved quickly after the smoke and missing-aircraft reports came in. Officials have not said whether weather, terrain or a mechanical problem played any role. The investigation remains open as federal safety officials work to reconstruct what happened near the mountain.
Crash happened near a remote area west of Telluride
Dolores Peak sits in a rugged part of southwest Colorado, and the crash location was described as an area about 15 miles from Telluride. The remoteness likely complicated the early response, even as multiple agencies began piecing together the aircraft’s last known position.
Telluride Regional Airport was among the locations involved in tracking the flight after contact was lost. The Cessna T206 was on a return leg to Belen after departing Grand Junction, but officials did not say why the plane was in the region or how long the surveying flight had been underway.
Federal investigators are now examining the final moments of the flight
The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the crash investigation and will examine the aircraft, flight path and other evidence from the site. That process typically includes gathering witness information, reviewing maintenance and operational records, and assessing possible weather or terrain factors.
For now, authorities have confirmed only the basic sequence: the plane left Grand Junction, lost contact near Telluride Regional Airport, and later was found crashed near Dolores Peak. The deaths of Ramirez and Klobuchar ended what had been a routine surveying assignment and left investigators searching for the cause.
