Tragic Midair Crash at Colorado Competition Honoring Fallen Pilot

Background of the Aerial Collision

A midair collision between two aircraft occurred a week ago, during an aerial acrobatics event. This incident took place at the Fort Morgan Municipal Airport in Colorado. The competition, which had been held since 2020, was recently renamed in honor of a pilot who passed away under tragic circumstances the previous year while performing crop dusting duties.

The crash on August 31 resulted in significant emotional distress for the flying community, especially among those who knew the victim, 35-year-old Kristen Morris. She was the sole fatality in the collision. According to the International Aerobatic Club (IAC), which organized the event, Morris was aboard an Extra E300 sport plane that had just completed a flight during the competition. Flight maps show that the E300 made a sharp turn to land on runway 14R at the airport after completing two loops around the facility. It was returning to the same runway it had departed from just 11 minutes earlier.

The collision occurred shortly before the plane was set to land. At that moment, a Cessna 172 was already aligned for its final approach to the same runway. Both aircraft caught fire upon impact and crashed.

Morris, who was active on social media, was a first officer with Skywest Airlines and had previously served as a C-130 pilot in the Air Force. She was based in Washington state. The other individual on board the E300 was David Shangraw, a 39-year-old licensed pilot and flight instructor from Washington. He was taken to the hospital immediately after the crash but is reported to have suffered only minor injuries. It remains unclear who was piloting the E300 at the time of the collision.

On the Cessna, there were two men. Both managed to escape the crash with only minor injuries. The IAC expressed deep sorrow over the incident, calling it a tragic event that affected the entire aerobatic community.

Honoring a Fallen Pilot

The competition was renamed to pay tribute to Kyle Scott, a pilot who lived in Northern Colorado for 15 years and worked as an operations manager at the Fort Morgan airport. He also owned nine Air Tractors and ran his own crop dusting business. Scott was known for contributing his time and resources to wildfire firefighting efforts across Colorado. His planes were often referred to as Single-Engine Air Tankers (SEATs). Scott, who was certified to fly multi-engine planes and helicopters, died on September 5 last year near the towns of Hillrose and Snyder while working on a farm field northeast of Brush. According to a report from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the outer right wing of his crop duster clipped a power pole and transformer, leading to the accident.

Airport Operations and Safety Measures

The Fort Morgan Municipal Airport does not have a control tower and operates as a CTAF (Common Traffic Advisory Frequency) facility. This means pilots are responsible for their own situational awareness and use a designated radio frequency to communicate their position, aircraft type, and intentions to others. This system is common at smaller or rural airports.

The Cessna involved in the collision was one of two planes operated by the Bell Ornithopters Flying Club, which is based at Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport in Broomfield. However, the group has not responded to inquiries from local media outlets.

Ongoing Investigation

The NTSB is currently investigating the midair collision. These types of investigations typically take about a year to complete. As the process unfolds, more details about the cause of the crash and how it occurred may come to light.

The renaming of the aerobatic contest serves as a somber reminder of the risks involved in aviation and the importance of safety protocols. It also highlights the legacy of those who have contributed to the aviation community, like Kyle Scott, whose life and work continue to be honored through such events.