Small plane crashes in Custer County

A small plane was forced to make a hard landing south of Highway 69 near Westcliffe on Tuesday morning.

The plane landed in a field just off of County Road 105. Custer County Sheriff Fred Jobe identified the pilot as William Walker. He’s in his 60s from Scottsdale, Ariz.. The pilot was taken to St. Mary Corwin hospital in Pueblo where he was later released.

The pilot was conducting a safety check on the plane. The plane was a kit plane, meaning it was built by someone. Before the plane can be certified to fly it must be checked out by an experienced pilot.