The Oklahoma State University Cowboys basketball team plane crash occurred on January 27, 2001, at 19:37 EST, when a
Beechcraft Super King Air 200
The Beechcraft Super King Air family is part of a line of twin-turboprop aircraft produced by Beechcraft. The Model 200 and Model 300 series were originally marketed as the "Super King Air" family; the "Super" designation was dropped in 1996. ...
, registration N81PF, carrying two players on the
Oklahoma State Cowboys basketball
The Oklahoma State Cowboys basketball team represents Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma, United States in NCAA Division I men's basketball competition. All women's teams at the school are known as Cowgirls. The Cowboys currently ...
team along with six Oklahoma State broadcasters and members of the Oklahoma State coaching staff, crashed in a field east of
Denver
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
,
near
Strasburg, in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...
of
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...
. The pilot had become disoriented in a
snow storm
A winter storm is an event in which wind coincides with varieties of precipitation that only occur at freezing temperatures, such as snow, mixed snow and rain, or freezing rain. In temperate continental climates, these storms are not necessar ...
.
The plane was flying from
Jefferson County Airport to
Stillwater Regional Airport after the team's loss to the
Colorado Buffaloes
The Colorado Buffaloes are the athletic teams that represent the University of Colorado. The university sponsors 17 varsity sports teams. Both the men's and women's teams are called the Buffaloes (Buffs for short) or, rarely, the Golden Buffalo ...
.
The plane was carrying two crew members (pilot Denver Mills, and co-pilot Bjorn Fahlstrom) and eight passengers involved with Oklahoma State basketball. All 10 individuals died.
[ Oklahoma State has a memorial erected to them, entitled "Remember the Ten", inside ]Gallagher-Iba Arena
Gallagher-Iba Arena, also once known as ''"The Rowdiest Arena in the Country"'' and ''"The Madison Square Garden of the Plains”'', is the basketball and wrestling venue at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma, United States. Origi ...
in Stillwater, Oklahoma
Stillwater ( iow, Ñápinⁿje, ''meaning: "Water quiet"'') is a city in, and the county seat of, Payne County, Oklahoma, United States. It is located in north-central Oklahoma at the intersection of U.S. Route 177 and State Highway 51. As of t ...
.
Victims
The ten victims were:
See also
* List of accidents involving sports teams
This is a list of accidents where all or part of a major sports team had been killed or seriously injured.
Sports teams fatalities from aviation accidents and incidents
''(Click on date for associated article)''
1. Frölunda chartered three p ...
* 2011 Arkansas Piper Cherokee crash – the second plane crash in 10 years to involve an Oklahoma State basketball team
References
Oklahoma State Cowboys basketball
Aviation accidents and incidents in the United States in 2001
Aviation accidents and incidents involving sports teams
Aviation accidents and incidents in Colorado
2000–01 Big 12 Conference men's basketball season
2001 in Oklahoma
2001 in Colorado
Accidents and incidents involving the Beechcraft Super King Air
January 2001 events in the United States
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