Overview

• The single-engine Piper Cherokee departed West Yellowstone Airport just before midnight on July 17 and crashed south of town in a densely forested area.
• Search aircraft traced a passenger’s smartwatch signal to the wreckage at 2:13 p.m. on July 18 near South Plateau Road after ground trackers lost contact.
• Ground crews navigated rugged timber to extricate the occupants whose remains were airlifted out and prepared for identification.
• Victims were confirmed as Rodney Conover, 60, and Madison Conover, 23, of Tennessee, and Kurt Enoch Robey, 55, of Utah.
• Federal investigators from the FAA and NTSB have launched a formal inquiry to establish the crash’s cause and propose safety recommendations.