A pilot flying his recently purchased float plane home and his airline-certified co-pilot both died last month during takeoff from the Montrose Regional Airport.

The two men, both residents of Fort Myers, Florida, perished when the aircraft crashed June 23 less than a mile from the airport. 

Alejandro D. Antunez, 53, and Lawrence Skinner, 61, were on board. The Montrose County Coroner’s Office is still looking into whether the men died from the crash’s impact, the ensuing fire, or something less obvious.

A preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board did not include an actual purchase date of the plane nor an individual or company from which it was purchased. But the report described the pilot as properly rated for single-engine land and sea flights, including commercial pilot privileges for single-engine sea planes. The co-pilot was actively employed as a commercial airline pilot, held ratings and flight instructor certification for the Boeing 757, the Boeing 767, and the Douglas DC-8, and was also a certified airplane mechanic. 

Online public records match Skinner with those co-pilot’s qualifications. 

The plane, a Murphy Moose, did not have a current registration with the Federal Aviation Administration. 

“The kit manufacturer advertises the airframe as a ‘distant cousin’ of the de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver series airplanes,” the NTSB report states. The plane featured a Vedeneyev radial engine and amphibious floats for landing gear. It was built in 2008 from a kit, according to the NTSB report — though, again, the builder was not identified. 

An online ad showed a plane by the same tail number for sale until January 2024 in Colorado. At that time, it was located in Cedaredge, per the ad.  

The “ferry” flight, or transport, of the aircraft required a Special Flight Permit which the NTSB stated was signed by a Designated Airworthiness Representative, a FAA-certified person qualified to make mechanical inspections of aircraft being delivered from manufacturers or for repairs.

As planned, Antunez and Skinner successfully flew the plane earlier that day from Westwinds Airport in Delta. It was the first leg in the journey to Florida. They landed in Montrose to refuel. 

During the 10 a.m. takeoff, the plane kept a nose-up attitude after takeoff but failed to climb or gain speed, witnesses told NTSB investigators. The plane turned from a northerly direction toward the east and dropped behind a home, striking an embankment for a dirt driveway approximately seventh-tenths of a mile from where it left the runway.   

The Montrose Regional Airport’s elevation is 5,759 feet above sea level, about midway between the elevations of Centennial Airport (5,883) and Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport in Broomfield (5,673).

After acquiring evidence at the crash scene, NTSB investigators took possession of the wreckage for further study. A final report is normally several months in the making.