Authorities were investigating the death of a rail conductor who was hit by a passing train Sunday in Montana, the National Transportation Safety Board said.

The conductor worked for BNSF Railway, the agency said in a post on social media. BNSF Railway operates one of the largest freight railway networks in the U.S.

The incident occurred at about 9:40 a.m. in Columbus, a town of about 2,000 people 40 miles southwest of Billings.

Emergency response officials weren’t sure what happened other than that an individual was between two trains, said Nick Jacobs, Columbus Fire Rescue’s assistant chief. One train was parked on one track and the other train was moving on another track, he said.

“And the moving one struck him somehow,” Jacobs said.

BNSF investigators were on scene, as well as Columbus Police and Stillwater County Sheriff deputies, CBS affiliate KTVQ reported. The NTSB and Federal Railroad Administration officials were also at the scene, Jacobs said.

A spokesperson for BNSF said the company was referring all questions to the NTSB.

The identity of the deceased was not immediately released.

The accident caused an hours-long road closure at one of the busiest crossings in the area, KTVQ reported.

“You can see how fast the cars build up here,” nearby resident Robert Carlson told the station. “It’s unusual, but, you know, where trains are concerned, you never know when there’s going to be a problem or accident or collision.”

A report by the Federal Railroad Administration last year found BNSF was generally striving to improve safety on a consistent basis, but that message didn’t always reach front-line workers who often didn’t feel comfortable reporting safety concerns for fear of being disciplined.

The agency prepared the report as part of an effort to review all major railroads to address safety concerns after a Norfolk Southern train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio in 2023. Last year, Norfolk Southern agreed to pay $600 million in a class-action lawsuit settlement related to the derailment.

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.

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WAFF) – We have sad news from Montana, where three people from Huntsville were killed in a plane crash. WAFF talked with the sheriff in Montana Saturday night.

He say the plane crashed Friday in a very remote area of Bob Marshall Wilderness, where there is no cell signal. He says Friday afternoon the plane dropped off radar. The plane crash scene was found Saturday morning.

First responders made their way to the area, and the sheriff announced Saturday night there are no survivors.

Members of Monte Sano Baptist Church had been asking for your help, to pray for the safe return of three members of the Anderson family, who are from Huntsville and they say on that plane.

They say Mark is an experienced pilot, and he was flying with two of his daughters Lainey, and Ellie Anderson.

This is a developing story. As soon as we have more information, we will provide it here.

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