Jet dumps door leaving Grand Junction airport

Plane owned by Basalt developer

By Paul Shockley
Grand Junction Correspondent
Glenwood Springs, CO Colorado
March 25, 2008

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GRAND JUNCTION, Colorado — Federal aviation investigators were expected to arrive today for answers on why a door fell off a private jet shortly after taking off from Grand Junction Regional Airport Monday afternoon.

Mike Fergus, a spokesman with the Federal Aviation Administration, said the Bombardier Challenger lost its door as the plane was on “climb out” just after leaving the runway around 3:30 p.m.

There were no injuries in the air or on the ground — Fergus said the door tumbled into a desert area west of the airport property.

The plane circled the airport and landed safely just before 4 p.m., according to radio traffic from dispatchers in Grand Junction.

Fergus said he didn’t know how many people were on board.

He said the plane was flying from Grand Junction to Rifle.

The plane’s registered owner is WFP Investments LLC in Snowmass, according to FAA records.

WFP Investments is listed in good standing as a foreign limited liability company formed in 2005 by Patrick D. Wilhelm of Basalt, according to state business records.

Wilhelm is a developer in the Roaring Fork Valley.