CRASH LANDING

Father and Daughters Killed During Plane Crash in Wilderness

Two of the three passengers were experienced flight instructors.

A father and his two daughters were killed on Friday after their plane crashed in the Montana wilderness. Pilot Mark Anderson, 62, was flying a small aircraft with his daughters Lainey, 22, and Ellie, 17, when their plane vanished from local flight radars, the Powell Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. A search was launched and the craft was found a day later with all three occupants pronounced dead at the scene. Sanders Aviation, where Lainey worked as a flight instructor, claimed in a Facebook post that the twin engine Aztec they had been flying developed engine problems shortly before going down. “Lainey was an exceptional and skilled aviator and a beloved flight instructor at our Jasper campus,” the group posted on Facebook. “She was dedicated to her craft and students. Her Sanders family will remember her with love and admiration. God Bless you and keep you, Lainey.” Anderson, also a flight instructor, was reportedly flying his daughters from Alabama to Montana where wife and mother Misty was planning on meeting the trio. “I cannot imagine what his wife Misty is experiencing right now, to lose her entire family at once, and I ask your prayers for her in this terribly tragic time,” a friend wrote on Facebook. “Mark, I am so thankful for the opportunity to spend time with you,” they added. “I’ll miss your smile, at least for now. Blue skies always, Brother. I hear the bell: You have your wings.”