Search Continues for Missing Passenger After Pacific Crash; DIA, Buckley Ties Prompt Local Support Efforts
AURORA — Rescue crews are battling rough seas and fading light in a remote stretch of the Pacific Ocean this morning, searching for a fifth passenger still unaccounted for after a small aircraft went down late Tuesday.
While the crash site is thousands of miles from Colorado, the impact is hitting close to home. Flight manifests reviewed by the Sentinel confirm the charter departed Denver International Airport (DIA) Monday evening, carrying a crew with ties to Buckley Space Force Base and contractors from the Anschutz Medical Campus corridor.
"We are treating this as a local emergency for the families waiting right here in Aurora," said Aurora Fire Rescue spokesperson Lt. Mark Davis, confirming AFR chaplains have been deployed to the DIA Family Assistance Center set up in the Jeppesen Terminal. "When a flight leaves our gateway, those passengers are our neighbors until they land safely."
The downed aircraft, a Pilatus PC-12, lost radar contact roughly 400 miles off the coast during a repositioning leg. The Coast Guard has recovered four survivors—three in stable condition, one critical—thanks to a nearby commercial vessel that diverted immediately. The search for the final occupant, identified by base officials as a civilian contractor from the Heather Gardens area, has expanded to a 1,200-square-mile grid.
For Aurora residents, the incident is a stark reminder of the city’s deep aviation roots. Between DIA’s general aviation traffic and Buckley’s constant rotor-wing and fixed-wing operations, aircraft noise is the soundtrack of daily life here.
Resources for Families & Witnesses: * DIA Family Assistance: Level 5, Jeppesen Terminal (24/7) * Buckley SFB Family Readiness: 720-847-6681 * Aurora Mental Health Crisis Line: 303-923-6888
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