Whitefish veterinarian killed in plane crash on Hungry Horse Reservoir

A plane crash killed a Whitefish man Wednesday, rescuers discovered, after a satellite picked up a signal from an emergency locator transmitter that afternoon in Western Montana, according to the Flathead County Sheriff's Office.

Whitefish veterinarian Hugh Rogers, 50, was killed in the crash. He was the owner of the plane and the pilot appeared to be the only occupant.

Rescuers found the wreckage of the small, single-engine plane on the ice of Hungry Horse Reservoir at about 12:30 a.m. Thursday. It is believed the plane went down about 4:30 p.m. Wednesday. The crash occurred about 35 miles south of the Hungry Horse Dam.

Members of the North Valley Search and Rescue, Flathead Search and Rescue and the Flathead County Sheriff's Office used snowmobiles in an attempt to find the precise location of the ELT signal that was given by Montana Aeronautics. An ELT is an emergency locator transmitter for an airplane. The ALERT helicopter was mobilized, but was unable to see any downed aircraft.

Search and rescue personnel arrived, and four members stayed with the victim until Thursday morning, when the body was transported to the Montana Crime Lab for an autopsy.

Weather hampered search efforts throughout the night Wednesday. Strong winds, snow and extremely poor visibility hindered the ability of the searchers to locate the ELT. Searchers used a "grid search" method to locate the downed aircraft.

The Sheriff's Office is working with the Federal Aviation Administration to conduct an investigation.