Mark Stanley Shook, 61, of Peyton died Saturday when his gyroplane crashed into the Colorado River near Loma, according to the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office.

Rebecca Jane Molle, 50, Shook’s sister-in-law who recently had moved to Grand Junction from California, was a passenger in the gyroplane, said Shook’s son-in-law, Joshua Leitte.

According to the Mesa County Coroner’s Office, Shook died of multiple injuries from the crash and Molle drowned after the crash, which happened about 6 p.m. Both deaths were ruled accidental.

Shook and Molle took off from Grand Junction and the Xenon gyroplane went down when it apparently hit a power line near McInnis Canyon, Leitte said. FAA officials and Mesa County Sheriff’s Office investigators have not said what caused the crash.

“We’re trying to stay together, this is very painful. We’re all in shock because Mark was one of about 15 people in the whole country who flew gyroplanes,” Shook’s son-in-law of 21 years told The Gazette in a phone interview Sunday.

The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel reported that a witness said Shook’s gyroplane fishtailed and sparks flew from it before it crashed nose-first into shallow water.

Shook is survived by his wife, Julie, of 40 years and their three children, April, Mark and Tom.

Shook was CEO of MeadowLake Property Management, owned and managed more than 45 aircraft hangars at Meadow Lake Airport, was director of the Meadow Lake Airport Authority and president of the Colorado Rotorcraft Association. He also served as director of Falcon School District 49 Board from 2007 to 2009.

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A yellow, two-seat helicopter crashed into the Colorado River Saturday evening, Oct. 4, 2014 not far from the Loma exit off Interstate 70. A witness confirmed two fatalities as a result of the crash. Due to the remote nature of the accident scene, another helicopter was called into service to ferry personnel back and forth from the crash site. (AP Photo/Grand Junction Daily Sentinel, Christopher Tomlison)

Christopher Tomnlinson

The wreckage of a gyroplane lies in the Colorado River near Loma. A helicopter was used to ferry personnel back and forth from the site. Christopher Tomlison, The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel