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News
By Plaindealer Staff on July 12, 2026
Firefighting aircraft goes down in Silver Jack
Body of pilot recovered from crash scene by dive team late Sunday

An aircraft fighting the Gold Mountain Fire went down in Silver Jack Reservoir in southwestern Gunnison County on Sunday night and the body of the pilot has been recovered from the crash.

One person was believed to have been on board the aircraft, according to information released earlier Sunday by the Gunnison County Sheriff’s Office.

The Montrose County Sheriff’s Office dive team recovered the pilot’s body late Sunday night. The Gunnison County Sheriff’s Office investigations division and other law enforcement resources also responded to the scene, according to initial reports. Limited information was available late Sunday.

Gunnison County officials received at call at 5:17 p.m. reporting that an aircraft had gone down in the reservoir. The coroner’s office is expected to release the identity of the pilot after notification of kin. Silver Jack Reservoir is located in the far southwestern corner of Gunnison County, though most people travel through Montrose and Ouray counties to access the reservoir.

The fire, which ignited two miles north of Ouray on June 27, had burned an estimated 35,621 acres as of Sunday and was 13% contained.

 

Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story reported that a plane was involved – we have updated it to use the word aircraft instead, now that we have more information.

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