An 81-year-old Vietnam War veteran was killed while piloting a plane that crashed in a field in Colorado on Friday.
Alex Benson Watson, a Nebraska man known among his friends and family as Ben, “earned his final set of wings” following the crash, his family wrote in his obituary.
Watson’s Beech 35-B33, a private, single-engine plane, took flight from Chadron, Ne., sometime between 7:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. on Friday, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.
He was headed to Hudson, Colo., but crashed in a field in Weld County around 2 p.m. He was just 50 miles away from his intended destination, according to a preliminary crash report from the Federal Aviation Administration.
Watson was the only passenger on board. The plane was completely destroyed in the wreck, as reported by the Denver Post.
While the FAA has deemed the crash to be an accident, federal investigators aren’t so sure. An investigation has been launched but could take up to two years to complete.
Watson served in the US Navy fresh out of college in 1964, working his way up to be a naval flight instructor. Following his service during the Vietnam War, he returned home and was almost immediately hired by Continental Airlines to work as a second officer on the Boeing 707, according to his obituary.
He flew with numerous different airlines throughout his decades-long career, retiring in 2003 as a decorated pilot, according to his obituary.
Watson boasts both the Federal Aviation Administration Wright Brothers “Master Pilot” Award and The Charles Taylor “Master Mechanic” Award, two exceedingly rare and coveted honors bestowed on him in 2019 for his work, according to his obituary.
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