Alaska pilot dies in crash

An Alaska man died and a Lake County man is in critical condition after a plane crash Tuesday afternoon northwest of Ronan.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office said Brett Thoft, 33, died when the single-engine, two-seat Piper airplane he was piloting crashed into a hillside.

Thoft was from Wasilla, Alaska.

His injured passenger, Tim Schauss, was airlifted by the ALERT helicopter to Kalispell Regional Medical Center.

The plane, apparently on a sightseeing flight, had taken off from the Ronan airport and crashed about 4:30 p.m. Tuesday. 

The rugged terrain hampered efforts to reach the crash site, according to Karen Sargeant, Lake County Sheriff’s Office public relations representative. 

“It’s very steep terrain, very hard to get to,” Sargeant said.

Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board arrived Wednesday.

Thoft’s body was taken to the State Crime Lab in Missoula for an autopsy.

Emergency responders at the scene included the Ronan Fire Department, Ronan Ambulance, Polson Ambulance, Montana Highway Patrol, Polson Police Department, Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Lake County Search and Rescue Unit and the ALERT helicopter from Kalispell Regional Medical Center.