Overview
- Powell County authorities and the coroner confirmed the victims as Mark, Lainey and Ellie Anderson, who were traveling to Polson, Montana.
- Radar contact was lost around 4:30 p.m. Friday and air assets from Malmstrom Air Force Base searched until midnight before a volunteer aircraft located the wreckage Saturday morning.
- The aircraft was found in remote, wooded terrain in the Youngs Creek area of the Bob Marshall Wilderness northeast of Seeley Lake, and all three were pronounced dead at the scene.
- The Powell County Sheriff’s Office transferred the case to the FAA and NTSB, which have not identified an official cause of the crash.
- Sanders Aviation reported the twin‑engine Aztec may have experienced engine problems before impact, as Auburn University and local groups shared tributes; the family dog, Stella, was also aboard.