Colorado Father, 46, and His Two Teenage Sons, 15 and 13, Perish in Tragedy Near Gunnison National Forest

A mother wanted her loved ones to hear from her before they heard it on the news, but the words she had to write would leave no part of their family untouched.

On October 24, 2026, Mark Hendrickson, 46, and his sons Alan Hendrickson, 15, and Case Hendrickson, 13, lost their lives in Colorado's remote backcountry.

Before that morning was over, an emergency response was underway near Swampy Pass, while the terrible task of telling people would fall to a woman who had just lost her husband and two boys together.

A Saturday Morning Far From Home

The Hendricksons lived in New Castle, Colorado, about 175 miles from Denver. Alan and Case were still teenagers, with another brother, Coen Hendrickson, and their mother, Jenni Hendrickson, part of the family waiting beyond the events unfolding in the wilderness.

The location was the West Elk Wilderness of Gunnison National Forest, a remote stretch of Gunnison County. It was there that the first known point in the timeline placed the father and his sons in danger.

According to People, the National Transportation Safety Board said a small airplane crashed shortly after 8:10 a.m. local time. Mark, Alan and Case were aboard.

The aircraft was a Piper PA-28, a small, metal, single-engine plane. At approximately 9:20 a.m., the Gunnison Regional 911 Center received a report of an incident. Emergency crews headed toward the area near Swampy Pass and eventually located the site.

All three occupants were found dead at the scene. There would be no survivors among the father and the two sons who had been together that morning.

Sunday's Announcement Put Names to the Loss

On Sunday, October 25, the Gunnison County Coroner's Office publicly identified the three victims in a release shared by the 911 center. Their names and ages brought the scale of the loss into painful focus.

The announcement also conveyed the family's gratitude for the compassion and respect they had received. County officials offered their condolences, while the emergency center acknowledged the grief reaching beyond the immediate household.

But inside that household, there was a mother trying to tell people something she could barely begin to process herself. Jenni wanted those who loved her husband and children to hear from her before a public announcement reached them.

In a message shared by the boys' aunt, Niccole Ruby Hendrickson, Jenni began, "I never thought I would have to write these words. My loves of my life, Mark and our two beautiful boys, Alan and Case, tragically passed away in a plane crash yesterday."

She explained that she had been trying to reach people by telephone. For anyone she had been unable to call, the post was her way of making sure they knew before the news told them.

Even while absorbing her own loss, she was thinking about how others would receive it.

Jenni Had Something to Ask of Everyone Who Loved Them

Jenni's message offered no polished explanation for what her family was enduring. She promised more information when she could provide it and asked for privacy while they tried to process what had happened.

"Thank you for loving each of them and for holding us in your hearts and prayers," she continued. Then she spoke about the son beside her, and the support they would need long after those first stunned messages.

"Coen and I have a lot of love with us - we feel it & will need it for a long time."

Her next request was painfully ordinary amid something so overwhelming. She asked people to forgive unanswered messages and any mistakes she might make through the fog of grief.

There was no expectation that she could keep up with everyone. Still, in those first hours of telling people, she felt the need to explain.

The Family's Plea Reached Beyond One Home

Meanwhile, Niccole also asked friends and relatives for prayers as the wider family struggled with the deaths. Mark was her husband's brother, and Alan and Case were their nephews.

Her appeal included Jenni and Coen, along with the boys' grandparents and the other relatives now trying to support one another. She closed simply, "With love + God Bless," signing her name beneath the request.

Meanwhile, investigators were still working to establish the circumstances. The Gunnison County Sheriff's Office, the NTSB, and the U.S. Forest Service were investigating, and the NTSB told People that officials were continuing to gather information at the site as of Sunday.

Unfortunately, no cause had been established in the information released. For Jenni and Coen, the questions surrounding those final moments remained alongside a much more immediate reality: learning how to get through the days without three people they loved.

Their loss followed another family's fatal flight just weeks earlier in California, where an outing to an airshow had left a community mourning a flight instructor who had devoted much of her life to aviation.

That crash happened shortly before 2 p.m. on Saturday, September 5, near Sierra Sky Park Airport in northwest Fresno, close to the San Joaquin River. According to the Fresno County Sheriff's Office, deputies, Fresno firefighters and Fresno police officers responded at about 1:50 p.m. to the 7300 block of N. Blythe Avenue.

As the days passed, the emergency response became only the beginning of that family's story, too. Behind the crash were people whose lives extended far beyond it, including a woman remembered for the place she had held in so many others' lives.

A Saturday Afternoon Flight Ends in Tragedy

First responders arrived to find a fixed-wing, single-engine airplane on fire atop the bluff of the San Joaquin River. Firefighters were able to extinguish the flames and prevent the fire from spreading to nearby homes, according to the sheriff's office.

There were four people aboard the aircraft. One female and one male adult were transported to the hospital, while two children were pronounced dead at the scene.

Investigators Are Still Trying to Determine What Happened

The circumstances surrounding the crash remain unclear. The New York Post reported that the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board were both involved, with the NTSB taking the lead in determining what went wrong.

The sheriff's office established a secured perimeter around the wreckage to give investigators room to work and prevent members of the public from interfering with the investigation.

According to a September 7 update from the sheriff's office, the NTSB remained in charge of the ongoing investigation as authorities worked to piece together the circumstances that brought the aircraft down.

The airport itself has also drawn attention because of its location and runway. According to ABC7, Sierra Sky Park Airport has a runway just over 2,400 feet long, making it one of the shortest in the San Joaquin Valley.

Because the airport is privately owned, ABC7 reported that it is not required to conform to FAA safety requirements for runway overruns. The airport is also situated between two residential neighborhoods and borders the San Joaquin River.

Still, authorities have urged people not to speculate about the cause of the crash while the investigation continues.

While investigators work to establish what happened in those final moments, the identities of those aboard began to bring the tragedy into sharper focus.

The Family Aboard the Aircraft

The woman was later identified as Danna Eady, 41, of Auberry. Her husband, Craig Eady, 44, was the other adult aboard the plane. Danna was flying with her husband and their two youngest sons, Pavel, 10, and Remus, 13, according to the Post.

The family was reportedly traveling to an airshow when the aircraft crashed. Pavel and Remus died at the scene, while Danna and Craig were initially taken to the hospital in critical condition. Danna later died from her injuries. Craig initially survived the crash but suffered severe burns and extensive injuries. His condition remained critical as the family waited for updates.

Then, on Monday, September 7, another devastating update arrived. The Post reported that Craig had died at the hospital from his injuries, just two days after the crash. The deaths left the couple's two eldest children, Lucien, 17, and Felicity, 18, orphaned. Unlike their younger brothers and parents, however, Lucien and Felicity were not aboard the aircraft.

The Family Is Now Facing an Unimaginable Loss

A Support Now campaign established for the Eady family describes what happened as "an unimaginable loss." The page says Danna and her two young sons lost their lives in the plane accident, while Craig initially survived and faced a long and difficult road of recovery requiring extensive medical care and support.

After Craig's death, that recovery was no longer possible, but the family's need for support remained. The campaign says the family is navigating grief while also dealing with the financial and practical consequences of the tragedy.

Donations are intended to help cover medical care and recovery-related expenses, travel and other costs associated with treatment, household needs, and the unexpected expenses that can follow such a devastating loss.

The campaign also emphasizes that support does not have to be financial. Friends and family say that sharing the campaign, offering prayers, or simply helping the family's story reach others can also be a meaningful way to show support.

"The Eadys have lost so much. Let's come together as a community and help carry them through what comes next," the campaign says.

Long before the tragedy, Danna had established herself as a flight instructor, aviation entrepreneur, and community advocate.

Those Who Knew Danna Remember Much More than the Crash

According to Danna's LinkedIn profile, she worked as a flight instructor at Reedley College and was the founder and owner of Meraki Aviation, a company providing aircraft rentals and flight instruction.

She also served as vice president of Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 376, where she helped organize fly-ins and fundraisers and co-directed a youth-led Van’s RV-12 aircraft-building program.

Her community work extended beyond aviation. She said she had supported at-risk youth through educational outreach, tutoring, and life-skills development and created aviation curriculum for local schools. She also volunteered as a Young Eagles Rally pilot and Angel Flight pilot, providing discovery flights and charitable air transportation for patients in need.

Reedley College remembered Danna as an instructor and mentor whose influence was especially significant for young women pursuing aviation.

"Danna was an incredible instructor and a mentor to all of our flight science students, especially to the five young women who are currently in our program and consider her to be a role model and inspiration to fulfill their dreams of becoming pilots," a Reedley College spokesperson said. "Danna was a valued member of our Flight."

The college also confirmed that Danna was not aboard one of its aircraft when the crash occurred and that no Reedley College students were involved.

The Garrisons, who own AITS Flight School and live at Sierra Sky Park, said they were devastated by her death. "We were privileged to work alongside Danna… She represented the very best of our aviation community and will be deeply missed," the Garrisons said in part in a statement.

"Danna was a pillar of the Central Valley aviation community. As president of Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 376 at Sierra Sky Park Airport and a certified flight instructor at a local college, she dedicated herself to aviation education, mentorship, and creating opportunities for the next generation of aviators."

For Nick Wilcox, owner of Soar Paso flight school in Paso Robles, Danna was both a friend and fellow flight instructor. He told the New York Post that he had flown with Danna numerous times and that she had even taken his daughter flying.

"She was a very special soul," Wilcox said. Wilcox also remembered Danna as "bubbly, outgoing, a free spirit" who loved being barefoot, eating ice cream, traveling and having new experiences.

Danna's aviation journey was especially striking because she had only become a pilot in recent years, according to Wilcox. Despite that, he said, she quickly accumulated thousands of flight hours and earned numerous ratings.

Flying, he explained, was not simply another part of Danna's career. "Her dream was to fly," Wilcox said. And then came the words that perhaps best captured what aviation meant to her.

"She died doing what she absolutely loved."

As investigators continue working to determine what happened that Saturday afternoon, the people who knew Danna are left remembering the life behind the headlines: an instructor, mentor, entrepreneur, pilot, and mother whose passion for aviation had become an important part of the community around her.

Our thoughts are with all those lost in these tragic incidents.