Gov. Greg Gianforte this month honored nine state employees for their efforts responding to a deadly October plane crash deep in the Bob Marshall Wilderness.  

The Department of Natural Resources and Conservation workers were awarded the Outstanding Service Award, an achievement created by Gianforte to “recognize state employees who go above and beyond to support the citizens of Montana,” according to the Governor’s Office.   

An Alabama pilot, Mark Anderson, and his two daughters, Lainey and Ellie, were on a family vacation when their plane crashed into a remote, wooded area in Youngs Creek northeast of Seeley Lake. Authorities indicated that a dog was also on board.  

The Powell County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a possible downed aircraft around the Bob Marshal in the evening hours of Oct. 17. Air resources were deployed from Malmstrom Air Force Base in Great Falls and searched from the sky until around midnight.  

By daybreak the next morning, a United States Air Force aircraft located the crash site, and the coordinates were relayed command staff who organized an immediate ground response, according to the Missoula County Sheriff’s Office.  

What ensued was a multi-agency recovery mission involving Missoula County Search and Rescue, Seeley-Swan Search and Rescue, Seeley Lake Rural Fire District, Montana Department of Transportation Aeronautics Division, U.S. Forest Service and the Lewis and Clark County Sheriff’s Office. 

Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation helicopters, crews and administrative teams were responsible for shuttling ground personnel and equipment into the rugged terrain. 

The governor presented AJ Angelo, Jay Lindgren, Amy Helena, Tal Williams, Chris Bryce, Luke Eidt, Harrison Backer, Glade Markland and Tyzer Smith each with a letter recognizing their efforts at the state agency’s aviation hangar in Helena. A flag was also flown over the state capitol building in their honor. 

“By maximizing every available minute of daylight, these DNRC personnel helped bring the mission to a successful and respectful conclusion under very difficult circumstances. This operation reflects the professionalism, teamwork and compassion demonstrated by DNRC employees who went above and beyond the call of duty to support their partners and serve Montana,” Gianforte said. 

THE PILOT had been experiencing icing and engine trouble before his fixed wing multi-engine Piper PA-23 lost altitude, according to a preliminary report released by the National Transportation Safety Board in November.  

The incident was the fifth plane crash in and around the Flathead Valley in 2025. Two fatal crashes occurred at Ryan Field in West Glacier over the summer, and another occurred at Ferndale Airfield in Bigfork in September. A pilot and three passengers survived a fiery plane crash at Kalispell City Airport in August.  

Reporter Jack Underhill can be reached at 758-4407 and [email protected].