The 1966 Cessna 172 carrying Pilot Charlie Wolff and two passengers Wayne Cahoon and his son Christian came to rest several hundred yards north of the Seeley Lake Airport. The cause of the crash is still under investigation.
The Cessna broke off the tops of many tress as it made a swath through the woods before coming to a rest.
SEELEY LAKE – Seeley-Swan Search and Rescue and local law enforcement assisted Powell County Saturday, Sept. 12 after a 1966 Cessna 172 was reported downed north of the Seeley Lake Airport. Pilot Charles Wolff, 67 of Green Valley, Arizona and part-time Seeley Lake resident, and Seeley Lake resident Wayne Cahoon, 59, died in the crash. The second passenger Christian Cahoon, Wayne's son, was airlifted to Seattle, Washington. The cause of the crash is still under investigation.
Just before 10 p.m. Saturday night, the Sheriff's Office received reports from two callers hearing a possible plane crashing into the woods. One caller said they heard a plane sputtering before the crash.
The Florida Air Force Rescue Coordination Center received notification from a plane's Emergency Locator Transmitter that provided a rough GPS location for the plane. Local pilots also received notification of the emergency beacon. The GPS coordinates put the crash site towards Blind Canyon, northeast of the Seeley Lake Airport. U.S. Forest Service Federal Officer Tyler Robinson was the first to arrive and began searching the Blind Canyon area.
Seeley-Swan Search and Rescue was dispatched at 9:50 p.m. More than a dozen search and rescue volunteers, law enforcement and civilians joined the search.
Local pilots Mike Lindemer and Kal Kovatch used electronic tracking to hone in the search area. The family was also able to ping the cell phone of one of the passengers which helped locate the crash site.
Incident Commander Missoula County Sheriff's Office Sergeant Bob Parcell requested Two Bear Air Rescue out of Kalispell, Montana. While they initially declined, after learning that Life Flight would not fly due to the heavy smoke, Two Bear Air agreed to assist with the search.
Sunday, Sept. 13 at 12:52 a.m., as Two Bear Air arrived in the area, Robinson and his ground crew found the aircraft just north of the Seeley Lake airstrip in a heavily wooded area.
"It was a really thick area. You had to be right up on it to see [the aircraft]," said Parcell. "It was pitch black on top of that."
Christian was conscious but severely injured. Two Bear Air landed at the site, loaded him and flew to the north end of the airstrip. The Seeley Lake Volunteer Fire Department transported him via ambulance to Missoula since Life Flight was not available. He was then flown to Seattle for further treatment.
The Powell County Sheriff's office appreciated the assistance from all the agencies involved in the location and recovery of the aircraft.
Powell County Sheriff Gavin Roselles wrote in an email, "The combined effort of the Missoula County Sheriff's office, Seeley-Swan Search and Rescue, U. S. Forrest Service and Two Bear Air Rescue, made it possible for the survivor to be transported."
Parcell added, "I'm very proud of our responders - how they went about their job, how fast they got it done and how professional they were. They were the only bright spot out of this whole tragedy. The community can be very proud of them in this kind of situation."
The Federal Aviation Administration's Helena office investigated the scene. It could be up to a year before the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board release their report.
How you can help
• Donate through Citizens Alliance Bank, PO Box 720, Seeley Lake MT 59868. Checks can be written to Brianne Cahoon. Please put "Cahoon Relief Fund" in the memo. Cash can also be deposited to the account. This will be used to support incurring costs from the accident and further medical treatment.
• Donate to Christian Cahoon's Medical Relief Fund via GoFundMe (https://www.gofundme.com/f/christian-cahoons-medical-relief-fund)
• Donate to Wayne Cahoon's Memorial Fund via GoFundMe (https://www.gofundme.com/f/wayne-cahoons-memorial-fund)
• Provide meals to the Cahoon family. These efforts are being coordinated by Dee Dennison (406-240-3970), Teresa Cahoon (406-210-4688) and Shirley Goudzwaard (406-214-1052). Call any of the coordinators for more information or go online and sign up https://www.mealtrain.com/trains/3gnqyw
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