Death confirmed in plane crash
This map shows the location of the small plane that crashed on the ice of Hungry Horse Reservoir on Wednesday. Map courtesy of Flathead County GIS Department.
The Daily Inter Lake
A Whitefish veterinarian was killed in the crash of a single-engine aircraft on the ice of Hungry Horse Reservoir on Wednesday.
Family and friends confirmed that Hugh Rogers, 50, died in the crash.
Officials with the State Aeronautics Division said a satellite picked up an emergency locator beacon near the reservoir around 4:30 p.m. Wednesday.
The Flathead County Sheriff's Office mobilized a search involving the ALERT helicopter, North Valley Search and Rescue and Flathead Search and Rescue.
Searchers found the wreckage at about 12:30 a.m. Thursday on the reservoir, about 35 miles south of Hungry Horse Dam. Strong winds, snow and poor visibility hampered the search for the plane.
Four search-and-rescue members stayed overnight with the body of the victim, which is expected to be removed from the crash site sometime today, Undersheriff Pete Wingert said.
A Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman said the plane was a Maule M-4 built in 1967. It was registered to Rogers.
Rogers has run Alpine Animal Hospital since 1997.
Rogers was an unassuming humanitarian, a quiet philanthropist and a champion of animal care-giving, friends and colleagues said Thursday as they remembered the well-known Whitefish veterinarian.
"I can't think of anyone who lived a fuller life," said Kari Gabriel, a friend and former co-worker of Rogers at Alpine Animal Hospital. "He lived his dreams and died doing what he loved doing best."
Rogers had a private pilot's license and enjoyed anything having to do with the backcountry, including flying, fishing, hiking and horseback riding.
But it was his wide-reaching humanitarian work that earned him acclaim among Flathead Valley's animal-care community.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the cause of the crash, said Jeanne MacPherson with the state Aeronautics Division.
MacPherson said she did not believe the pilot made a distress call.
Wednesday's crash was the third fatal airplane crash in Montana in just over two weeks.
Sparky Imeson of Helena was killed when his Cessna 180 crashed near Canyon Ferry Lake on March 17. And 14 people were killed when their Pilatus PC-12 crashed near Bert Mooney Airport in Butte on March 22. The plane carried three young families from California, including seven children under the age of 10, who were traveling to Montana for a ski vacation.
For more on this story, read Friday's Daily Inter Lake.