One dead, three injured in Big Horn Mountains plane crash

Emergency responders recovered three injured persons and one deceased from a plane crash in Bighorn National Forest on Monday, Sept. 1. 

Sheridan Law Enforcement Center received reports of possible lost or injured subjects in the Big Mountain area around 4:57 p.m. on Monday. Additional reports suggested a possible plane crash. Sheridan County Sheriff’s Deputies, Sheridan Area Search and Rescue and Wyoming Regional EMS responded to the area. First Flight from Greybull was requested to fly over the possible crash site and confirmed there was evidence of a plane crash in the area west of Big Mountain.

Rescue teams were flown in near the north end of Walker Prairie Trail, arrived at the crash site and found a single engine aircraft. Three patients -- an 11-year-old male, a 54-year-old male and a 53-year-old female, all of the same family -- were reported to have serious injuries and stabilized as a Wyoming Army National Guard helicopter was requested for hoist operations. A 13-year-old female was pronounced deceased on scene. 

The first patient was airlifted by First Flight from the scene to the Incident Command Post at the Steamboat Point parking lot and transported to Sheridan Memorial Hospital by WREMS. The Wyoming Army National Guard was able to airlift the other two patients from the scene in two separate flights. The first encompassed airlifting one patient to the Sheridan County Airport, where the patient was then transferred to an awaiting St. Vincent Help Flight Helicopter and flown to a Billings hospital. The second flight airlifted another patient directly to a Billings hospital.

The deceased female’s body was transferred to the Sheridan County Coroner. 

The Sheridan County Sheriff’s Office asked the public to stay out of the area in a Tuesday, Sept. 2, press release as the scene is part of an active investigation. The Federal Aviation Administration was reportedly enroute and Sheridan Area Search and Rescue, Sheridan County Sheriff’s Deputies and Bighorn National Forest Service personnel will remain on scene until the FAA investigation is completed. 

“The coordinated effort between all of the rescuers, EMS, medical teams and aircraft personnel was exceptional,” Sheridan County Sheriff Levi Dominguez said in a press release. “This was, and still is, a very fluid scene. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims’ and their family.”