CENTRAL CITY, Colo. -- A Cessna 182 crashed west of Central City on the way to Boulder County airport Friday afternoon, killing the pilot and severely injuring the passenger.

The single-engine plane went down above Miner's Gulch, a wooded area about 4 miles west of Central City, according to the Gilpin County Sheriff's Office.

Authorities were first notified just after 4 p.m. when they received a 911 call from one of the victims on the plane, who said his plane had crashed on a mountain but he did not know where. It took authorities some time to scramble to the crash site because of its remote location and steep, rugged terrain.

Police triangulated the man's cell phone signal and learned that it was coming from a cell tower in Central City, said Boulder police spokeswoman Sarah Huntley.

"Had they had a Phase 2 phone on, we would have been able to use GPS tracking but we're having to try to determine where they are based on bouncing signals," Huntley said.

Air Tracker 7 was the first aircraft over the area and located the downed plane on a mountainside just above 10,400 feet. Our pilot helped guide rescuers to the site of the crash, but the high winds and rocky terrain made a quick rescue difficult.

"It’s a little dicey getting there. We’re in the area of mountains, snow and trees," said Alpine Rescue Team's Bill Barwick.

Rescuers requested the help of the Civil Air Patrol at about 5 p.m. and the plane launched 45 minutes later. The National Guard also sent a Blackhawk helicopter from Buckley Air Force Base around 6:30 p.m.

An hour later, the Blackhawk helicopter hovered above the crash site as rescuers lowered themselves to the victims. The Civil Air Patrol told 7NEWS they had one survivor on board and that the pilot had died sometime after the crash and before the rescue. The passenger, who had a broken leg and a broken collarbone, was flown to St. Anthony Central Hospital in Denver.

Rescue crews on snowmobiles tried to get to the pilot's body by sundown but they called off the recovery effort Thursday night. Ground rescuers plan to reach the crash site Friday morning.

The plane was coming from Glenwood Springs,Colo., and was headed to Boulder for graduation ceremonies, authorities said.

The identities of the victims have not been released, but Gilpin County Sheriff's office spokeswoman Cherokee Blake said the pilot was a 55-year-old man and the passenger is a 23-year-old man, who is a family friend.

The Cessna was built in 1965 and is owned by Winkmaggair Llc., out of Carbondale, Colo, and is registered to Carbondale resident s Barry Maggert and Carroll Winkler, of Glenwood Springs.

The Rocky Mountain News reported that Lee Maggert, from Carbondale was scheduled to graduate Friday from the University of Colorado.

The National Transportation Safety Board said the plane had no previous incidents.

The NTSB is investigating the cause of the crash. Chief Meteorologist Mike Nelson said it was a turbulent day in that area, with winds gusts of 60-70 mph.

More than 45 people were involved in the rescue effort.