A heartbroken mother-of-three shared an emotional tribute on social media after her husband and two sons were killed in a plane crash.
Mark Hendrickson, 46, was piloting the plane and his two sons, Alan, 15, and Case, 13, were on board when the aircraft crashed in western Colorado, near Swampy Pass in Gunnison National Forest, on Saturday.
Gunnison County officials said that all three were found dead when they arrived.
The family, who leave behind their mother Jenni and another brother, Coen, were from New Castle in Garfield County.
As she struggled to process the news, Jenni released a statement on social media saying her entire world was left ‘broken’ by the devastating crash.
‘I never thought I would have to write these words,’ she said. ‘The loves of my life and our two beautiful boys Alan and Case tragically passed away in a plane crash yesterday.
‘Our family’s world is broken,’ the grieving mother continued, before thanking her friends and family ‘for loving each of them and for holding us in your hearts and prayers.
‘Coen and I have a lot of love with us – we feel it and will need it for a long time,’ she noted.
Jenni Hendrickson shared an emotional tribute to her husband, Mark, and their two sons, Alan, 15, and Case, 13, who were killed in a plane crash on Saturday
Mark, 46, was piloting the plane when it crashed in western Colorado, near Swampy Pass in Gunnison National Forest
The boys’ aunt, Niccole Ruby Hendrickson, had earlier confirmed their deaths online.
She wrote: ‘Dearest friends and family, we ask for your prayers as we process the unthinkable; yesterday my husband Scott’s brother Mark and our two nephews Alan & Case tragically lost their lives in a plane crash.
‘We need you to wrap our sister in law, their son/ brother Coen, my in-laws, my husband, kids and family in unrelenting prayers.’
Emergency responders had descended on the remote area near Swampy Pass around 9.20am on Saturday after a 911 caller reported a plane crash.
Hendrickson and his boys were pronounced dead at the scene.
Authorities have not revealed what type of aircraft Hendrickson had been flying, where he was heading or what caused his plane to go down.
But Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records indicate that he has held a private pilot’s license since at least 2023.
He was authorized to fly single-engine, fixed-wing aircraft designed for land operations under the FAA’s Airplane Single-Engine Land (ASEL) rating.
Mark is pictured here with his three sons. Alan and Case, pictured with their surviving brother, also died in the plane crash
The crash remains under investigation by the Gunnison County Sheriff’s Office, National Transportation Safety Board, FAA and US Forest Service.
Gunnison County said it ‘extends its deepest condolences to the Hendrickson family during this difficult time.’
‘The Hendrickson family wishes to express their sincere gratitude for the respect, compassion, and support they have received following this devastating tragedy,’ county officials said in a press release.
‘Additional information regarding the investigation will be released by the appropriate investigating agencies as it becomes available.’
Hendrickson earned his bachelor’s of engineering from Pittsburgh State University in 2003 after majoring in construction management, his LinkedIn profile said.
He had been working as a manager at Denver-based Shaw Construction LLC at the time of the crash.
According to his profile, he had worked at the firm for nearly 10 years.
Alan played on the varsity football and baseball teams at his local high school, according to the MaxPreps high school athletics database.
