Montana
Montana plane crash kills three: What we know
Three people have died following a plane crash in west central Montana, local officials said on Saturday.
The Context
The aircraft’s pilot, along with two other occupants, were pronounced dead at the scene, law enforcement reported.
What To Know
The Powell County Sheriff’s Office said it received reports of a possible downed aircraft at around 4:30 p.m. local time on Friday.
The plane was located at approximately 9 a.m. the following day by a volunteer aircraft with the Montana Department of Transportation Aeronautics division, the sheriff’s office said.
The scene was handed over to the United States Air Force, which also had helicopters operating nearby, said the sheriff’s office.
“The downed aircraft was located in a remote, wooded area in Youngs Creek in the Bob Marshall Wilderness—northeast of Seeley Lake,” law-enforcement said.
Members of the Powell County Coroner’s Office, Missoula County Search and Rescue, and the Seeley Lake Rural Fire Department, with support from the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, reached the scene at approximately 4 p.m., according to law enforcement.
“The pilot and two other occupants were pronounced dead at the scene,” the sheriff’s office said.
Aircraft data captured by the Flightradar24 website, mapped by Newsweek below, showed the Piper PA-23 Aztec departing Billings airport in Montana, around 300 miles to the southeast, just over two hours before its signal was lost in the area of wilderness.
Newsweek contacted the Powell County Sheriff’s Office for confirmation via email form, outside of standard working hours on Sunday.
What People Are Saying
The Powell County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement on social media, Saturday: “On Friday October 17th, 2025, at approximately 1630 hours, the Powell County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a possible downed aircraft. The last known position was in the Bob Marshall Wilderness in Northern Powell County. Air resources were deployed from Malstrom Air Force Base in Great Falls and continued to search until around midnight.
“Around 9 a.m., a volunteer aircraft operating under the command of the Montana Department of Transportation Aeronautics division, working off a weak ELT [emergency locator transmitter] signal, located the aircraft.”
What Happens Next
The Powell County Sheriff’s Office said that the investigation had been turned over to the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board, which would lead work to establish the cause of the crash.
HELENA, Mont — Gov. Greg Gianforte is backing a new effort to keep data centers from driving up Montanans’ power bills.
This week, Gianforte announced Montana is signing on to the Ratepayer Protection Pledge — an initiative endorsed by President Trump.
Several major technology companies like Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI, Oracle, and XAI first signed the pledge back in March.
The pledge comes as data center development continues to grow — raising questions about how much new energy will be needed and who will pay for it.
NBC Montana spoke with Julia Haggerty, professor of geography and department head of earth sciences at Montana State University, about whether Montana’s power grid is ready for that growth.
“Not without resolution of significant transmission bottlenecks and massive amounts of new generation. So, while our grid is adequately, relatively adequately equipped to serve the needs of our current load base, it’s definitely not equipped to accommodate the new demands without a lot of expansion,” she said.
According to the pledge, data center developers will pay for new power generation, and infrastructure needed to support their operations.
“It does align with ongoing regulatory efforts to ensure that the cost of new generation associated with data centers is borne by the developers of those data centers and not customers,” Haggerty said.
The governor’s office says Gianforte’s support of the pledge is designed to encourage responsible data center investments while protecting Montana ratepayers from long-term costs.
The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at July 7, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Mega Millions numbers from July 7 drawing
02-31-35-36-63, Mega Ball: 12
Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from July 7 drawing
09-21-24-29, Bonus: 15
Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from July 7 drawing
27-43-48-49-50, Bonus: 02
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
When are the Montana Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 9 p.m. MT on Tuesday and Friday.
- Lucky For Life: 8:38 p.m. MT daily.
- Lotto America: 9 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Big Sky Bonus: 7:30 p.m. MT daily.
- Powerball Double Play: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Montana Cash: 8 p.m. MT on Wednesday and Saturday.
- Millionaire for Life: 9:15 p.m. MT daily.
Missed a draw? Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Great Falls Tribune editor. You can send feedback using this form.
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