Marc "Thor'' Olson was circling to make one more water drop on the Kruger Rock Fire on his historic night aerial flight near Estes Park before heading home to celebrate his 27th wedding anniversary the next day.
But on the night of Nov. 16, 2021, gusty winds in mountainous terrain doomed his final pass, leaving Olson’s wife, Rhonda, and family to mourn his death instead of celebrate the couple's marriage.
Olson’s Air Tractor AT-802A plane crashed during what is believed to be the first fixed-wing aircraft night firefighting mission in the state, landing in a wooded mountainside near Hermit Park Open Space.
The crash site is not far from where Olson, along with four other aviator firefighters who lost their lives in Colorado, were honored Wednesday at the dedication of the Fallen Aviator Firefighter Memorial near Hermit Park Open Space's pavilion.
Read more on this story at the Coloradoan
