DENVER (AP) - Investigators say a Missouri pilot who died in a small-plane crash in Western Colorado had little experience flying over mountainous terrain.
Thirty-nine-year-old William Michael Fritts of Osceola, Mo. died when the Beech G35 crashed near Marble in June.
Two passengers from Tucson, Ariz., were injured. They were 21-year-old Kelly M. Schaver and 56-year-old Jeryl A. Schaver.
A National Transportation Safety Board report released last week says Fritts had made one previous landing at the privately owned airstrip and wasn't familiar with the area.
The passengers told the NTSB Fritts had overshot the landing strip and was circling for another try when the plane struck trees.
The NTSB hasn't yet reported a probable cause.
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