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Ultralight pilot rescued after crash

An ultralight plane crash and rescue effort occurred on Ute Mountain Saturday.

Lonn Andrews, 75, suffered a broken leg, sternum and back after he crashed on the northern peak of the mountain about 7 a.m.

“He caught a downdraft and could not pull out of it,” said his wife Karen Andrews. “We’re relieved he is alive and not paralyzed. He’s very lucky.”

Ute Mountain Fire, BIA, United Search and Rescue, Cortez Fire, Southwest Memorial Hospital, and Care Flight out of Durango, responded.

Care Flight could not put down safely at the crash site, so rescuers hiked for hours to reach the victim traveling through thick forest in steep terrain.

Ute Mountain fire chief John Trocheck said that after stabilizing the pilot, rescue crews carried him on a stretcher up the mountain to an ATV. Fire crews then used chainsaws to clear a path to a road, where an ambulance transported him to the Care Flight helicopter that had landed in a clearing.

“It was a difficult rescue, but all the organizations worked together to make it successful,” Trocheck said.

Andrews was transported Mercy Medical Center and was released. Karen said he is expected to make a full recovery, and will undergo months of rehab in Cortez.

“His wife has grounded him,” said Karen Andrews, who recently retired as finance officer for Dolores Schools. “My heart goes out to the rescue crews who worked so hard to reach him. I want to thank them for their excellent service.”

Lonn used his cell phone to call 911 and report the crash to his ground crew and wife. A friend with a plane flew over the crash site and relayed its coordinates to rescue workers. Karen said her husband was in and out of consciousness throughout the 9-hour rescue effort. The wreckage remains on the mountain.

jmimiaga@cortezjournal.com