(MANITOU SPRINGS, Colo.) — An Air Force Cadet died in a motorcycle crash near Manitou Springs on Thursday, Feb. 29. Colorado State Patrol (CSP) was notified of the single-vehicle accident at 3:22 p.m.

21-year-old Cadet 2nd Class Tristen Burton, from Granger, Texas, was riding eastbound on Highway 24 and traveled out of a curve, colliding with a guardrail, says CSP. A second rider stopped to help, but Cadet Burton died on the scene. The cause of the crash is being investigated.

“Tristen was studying mechanical engineering and hoped to be a special warfare officer,” said Lieutenant Gen. Richard M. Clark, U.S. Air Force Academy superintendent. “He will be remembered as a trusted peer and respected wingman, who excelled in the classroom and in the gym as an avid weightlifter.”