Remains of a Pilot and an Oral Surgeon Discovered Following July 4th Accident
The remains of two men have been located after a plane crash that occurred east of Aspen, Colorado. Officials confirmed on Sunday night that both men, a veteran pilot and an oral surgeon from New York, are presumed dead following the incident on July 4th.
Pending results from additional post-mortem examinations, the chief deputy coroner of Pitkin County has identified the victims as Ruben Cohen and David Zara. The crash involved a small six-seater, single-engine Beechcraft B36 aircraft that went down near Midway Pass, close to the Continental Divide.
Emergency services received a call on July 4th around 10:30 AM, reporting a friend who was late arriving at the airport in Des Moines, Iowa. The caller noted that the plane had departed from Aspen Pitkin County Airport the previous day at 4:30 PM, tracking its flight path to approximately 30 miles east of Aspen.
Efforts to locate the wreckage involved collaboration between the Pitkin County Sheriff’s deputy, the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center, the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control, volunteer group Mountain Rescue Aspen, and the Colorado Army National Guard’s High-Altitude Aviation Training Site (HAATS). The wreckage was discovered in the Hunter-Fryingpan Wilderness area of the White River National Forest, approximately nine miles east of Aspen.
David Zara, one of the victims, was a professional pilot who founded Tradewind Aviation and Zen Air. In a statement to The Independent, Tradewind Aviation expressed their devastation over Zara’s loss, describing him as charismatic and passionate about flying.
Ruben Cohen was an oral surgeon practicing on Park Avenue in Manhattan. His contributions extended beyond his profession; he frequently traveled to regions like Africa and Central America to provide free surgical care to children with facial deformities. Cohen was also involved in the 9/11 rescue efforts at Ground Zero and served with the Israeli Defense Force Field Medical Hospital in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake, as detailed on his company website.
The National Transportation Safety Board is currently investigating the circumstances surrounding the plane crash. The Independent has reached out to the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office for further details regarding the incident.
