WEST YELLOWSTONE — Three people were killed in an airplane crash just south of West Yellowstone last week.
The aircraft had departed the West Yellowstone Airport with three people on board just before midnight on Thursday, July 17.
On Friday at approximately 1:40 p.m., West Yellowstone dispatch received a call regarding a possible plane crash.
The U.S. Department of Transportation Aero Division reported that the plane, carrying three people, could not be located.
Utilizing the last known location from one occupant's smartwatch, search planes were deployed and quickly located the destroyed aircraft in dense timber south of West Yellowstone, near South Plateau Road, at 2:13 p.m.
Gallatin County Search and Rescue responded to the crash site and confirmed that all three occupants had died in the crash.
The occupants have been identified as Rodney Conover, 60, and his daughter Madison Conover, 23, both from Tennessee, and Kurt Enoch Robey, 55, from Utah. Notifications have been made to their next of kin.
The investigation into the cause of the crash is currently being conducted by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
Gallatin County Sheriff Dan Springer expressed gratitude to all agencies involved in the search, recovery efforts, and ongoing investigation. Participating organizations included the Hebgen Basin Rural Fire District, U.S. Forest Service, FAA, and NTSB.
