Pilot was flying with sister-in-law in fatal crash

Family members say a pilot and passenger killed in a weekend crash in western Colorado were in-laws who had decided to fly over the Colorado National Monument.

The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel reported Wednesday 61-year-old Mark Shook was an experienced aviator. His wife’s sister, 50-year-old Rebecca Molle, was the passenger.

Shook was from Peyton, about 25 miles northeast of Colorado Springs. Molle lived in Grand Junction.

No one else was aboard the gyroplane when it crashed Saturday in the Colorado River northwest of Grand Junction.

Gyroplanes look like helicopters but are powered by propellers. Air flow created by the aircraft’s forward motion spins the rotors, which provide lift.

The National Transportation Safety Board’s preliminary report says the gyroplane struck power lines. A witness reported seeing sparks before the crash.